UPPER COQUETDALE, XORTHUMBERLAXD : 3ts 1bi5toi*v\ ITraDitions, jFoll?*lorc an^ Scenerv. HV DAVID DIPPIE DIXOX, ArillOR OK ''WJiittinghaui J'a/e," •'History of RotJibiirv C/iinr/i" eVr, WITH ILI.I'STRATIOXS i:y JOHN' TURNBULL JJIXON. M:\vrASTi.i: ri'()\r\ \ I : riMNTFI) AM) I'CIII.ISIII' I) l;\ I^or.IlM |;l DI'ATII. 190;,. TO TllK Rl(,IIT JIuX. LukI) AkMSTROXd, Ol- Ha.MIILRI.II AM) Cragsidk. TIII.s NOI.lMi; I.s RKSI'KC ri i; I,l.\ I)i;i)ICATEl) AS A T(JK1;.\ i)\ (.KATITLIU-; 1()1< Till-; MA.W AC'ls Ol kim»m;ss kix i.i\ i;i) i;\ Tin-: .\i"i"ii()K. 545::oo PREFACE. "If life weTc like a ilay in June, And \vc had choice of luii^land wide, Whi) would not spend an afternoon, And evening too, by Coquet-side."' TTTHEN. S(jine forty years aoo, the writer of the ' ' following- pao-es left the paternal roof to take up his residence in Rothbury, he well remembers how the first sight he obtained of the ancient village, and the vale of Cocjuet, as seen from the ridges of Addev- heugh. awakened within him the impression that the village, and its romantic surroundings ot hills and dales, must possess a historx' ot more than ordinar\" interest, an impression that grew upon him as vears nulled b\-. He. therefore, now ventures to la\ before his readers a histor\- of the district, the outcome of man\' notes and jxM'sonal observations, made in the course ot his business journcNS in I ' pper ("o(|uctdak:. i'his. h<: knows tiill well ihcrc will !)<• nmissions man\' and errors not a lew. Mutli still remains lo be told, lor numerous items ol greal interest have Ihx'II excluded through want of space. VI. uim'i:k (■(j(^)Ueti) \i,k. I^ie favourable reception i^'iven to the writer's "W'hittinLi'haiii \'ale" leads him to hope that this, his second attempt in local histor\', will also merit the approbation of his patrons. The author would here ask the learned scholar, and the critic, to scan the pages of "Upper Coquetdale" with kindly considera- tion, and to remember that it has been the leisure-hour employment of two village tradesmen. Ill the gathering together of material, and in the confirmation of detail for the work, as it went thr(ju!'h the press, the author found many friends from Coquet- head downwards, who readily trave him their valuable advice and assistance. lo these he tenders his sincere thanks ; and he can truly say, if one wants to hnd out his triends — ^write a book! D. D. 1). Rothbitrw DciCinber, nji'j. ]■: R RATA. At ]:iage 142, Note 2, instead nf L'//n'.\-//f's. rear! " Cltrisiisnn's.'" At ]")atTe 174, line 25, instead of ry/S. read " 171 5." At ]iage 217. line 11. instead of Cro7i'ii, read " Rose." At page 276, line 7. instead of ,f7vr^;i", read " s\'(;\'rkk."' At page 285, (iniitted : — ••.Mr. II. 11. New ion was .schoolmaster at Holystone upwards of (orly years, and still resides in the village." At page 372. lines 21-22 should read thus: — " Kdward the First, l>y a mandate dated at Rothlun)-. 12th July. 1292, ordered the bishops of Si. .Xiidrew and (ilasgow to enquire into the matter, ^:c., &€.'' (Hodgson's yVi)r/////w/'cv/(?;/(/, I'art ii., \'ol. i., ]>. 26.) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Pl.an of Chew Green Camp 6 Plate of Eight Flints 120 Half-tone Plate of Two Urns and Stone ... ... ... 139 Harbottle Manse 202 Alwinton Church 220 Clennel ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 240 BiDDLESTON . . 244 Holystone 274 Heit'I.e 296 Cartington Castle .. .. 350 Kothbury, 1840 ... 374 Font — Rothbury Church . . 398 Cragsiue, 1870 .. 430 Thropton 456 UPPER COQUETDALE. INTRODUCTORY. The Coquet for ever ! The Coquet for aye ! The Coquet, the King o' the stream an' the brae. Frae his high mountain throne to his bed in the sea- Oh ! where shall we find such a River as he ?"' THE Coquet — which of all Northumbria's trouting- streams is the most famous — has its source far up amongst the Cheviot Hills, and after a tortuous course of about forty miles, passing on its way seaward the villages of Alwinton, Harbottle, Holystone, Hepple, Thropton and Rothbury, Iirinkburn Priory, Weldon Bridge, Felton and Warkworth, empties its waters into the North Sea at the port of Amble, opposite Coquet Island. That part of the valley known as Upper Coquet- dale is a wide tract of hill country lying on the north-western border of Northumberland, e.xtending a distance of some twenty-five miles eastward from the head of Coquet io r)rinkl)urn Priory. 2 INTRODUCTORY. About midway between these two points, just where the river debouches from its hill-bound passage, stands the village of Alwinton. The ten long miles of hills and fells lying to the west forms the higher portion of the district, which shall be described under the title " Coquethead to x'Vlwinton." The fifteen miles of fertile and well-cultivated country stretching eastward down beyond Rothbury forms the lower portion, or second division — "Alwinton to Brinkburn Priory." Immediately above Alwinton the valley suddenly contracts, and from Barrow Scar upwards the waters of the Coquet become closely hemmed in by the massive green hills that rise straight from its very channel, leaving in some parts scarcely sufficient room for the narrow cart-road, that crosses and recrosses the stream, as it winds its way up the bottom of the valley towards Makendon — the last house on the English side of the border — where all signs of a road cease, except a foot-track through the fells to the Roman camp at Chew Green, and another leading over Brown- hart Law into Scotland. This interesting portion of the borderland, known as Upper Coquetdale, is contained for the most part within the two large parishes of Rothbury and Alwin- ton, and lies within the watershed of the river Coquet. From the solitudes of Chew Green down to the sylvan IXTROUUCTORY. 3 •shades of Brinkbuni the whole district is rife with historic associations, and every foothold of its soil is full of leo-end and fascinating- folk-lore. The hills and moorlands around are studded with camps, hut-circles, standing-stones, and sepulchral cairns — rude memorials of a pre-historic race that in early times occupied the rising grounds on the banks of the Coquet. Roman causeways intersect the valley at Chew Green, Holy- stone, and Brinkburn, furnishing material evidence of the occupation of these northern wilds by the legions of Imperial Rome. The nomenclature of the district, villages, and old townships, with their place-names, mark the Anglian settlement on our eastern shores. Architectural remains of mediaeval times are found in the ruins of Harbottle Castle and Brinkburn Priory, Avhile a number of strongly-built square towers — a class of buildings peculiar to Northumberland and the borders — are grim reminders of those turbulent days •when — " English lords and Scottish chiefs were foes." In short, throu'jfhout the length and breadth of this charming bit of Northumberland, whether it be amid the wide expanse of its heathery moorlands or the This name is said to Ite derived from the Danish Ganicl — ohl. — MacLaucli- lan's Memoir, 1852-8, )i. 41. lO UPPER COQUETDALE. assuraunce taken. And the Scottes were forced to retyre from thence ao-avne into Scotland around before the officers of England would o"i-aunt anv assuraunce to meete with the Scottes. And ever synce that tyme ye Riddesdall men make theire sheales neare unto yt ground in controuersy." ^ Even as late as the nineteenth century this bit of land- was a bone of contention betwixt Scotch and English land- owners. Mr. Richard Welford, in his " Life of the late Ralph Carr-Ellison, Landowner, Antiquary, and Naturalist," tells us: " Mr. Carr was one of the few men who ever made the Ordnance Survey officials admit an error in topographical nomenclature. He owned the estate of Makendon at the head of Cocjuet, which runs up to what is locally known as " the Scotch edge," where it " marches " with the property of the Duke of Roxburgh. In this district the boundary line between England and Scotland usually follows the watershed (or, as Dandie Dinmont expresses it, "the tap o' the hill, where win' and water shears") between the valleys of the Teviot and Bowmont, on the Scotch side, and those of the Rede, Coquet, and Bream ish, on the English. But in various places the Scotch, like " Jock o' Dawston Cleugh," have encroached over the crest of the hills. These encroachments are usually marked on old maps as " batable," i.e., debateable ground. One such plot of " batable" land lay between the properties of Mr. Carr and the Duke of Roxburgh, where, according to the contention of the Scotch, the march leaves the "tap o' the hills and bauds down by the Syke," in which the Coquet rises, thus cutting off the Plea Shank which, like Dandie Dinmont's ground, " lying high and exposed may feed a hogg or aiblins twa in a gude year."' The spot is familiar to antiquaries, for the ancient Roman, camp, "Ad Fines," now known as Chew Green, lies just below it, and the Roman road or Watling Street here crosses the moors into Scotland. For the sake of peace it had been * WoAg^on'^ Nortkitiiiherhiiid, Part iii., Vol. ii., pp. 208-210. CO(^UETIIEAI) TO WINDVIIAUCH. 11 arranged, at some former time between the owners and occu- piers, that half the Plea Shank should be pastured by each part}-. But when the Ordnance Sur\e}- came to be made, the Scotch revived their claim to the whole, and by some means- or other contrived to win over those who were conducting the survey. Little more was heard of the matter till the maps were issued, showing the boundary between England and Scotland drawn along the English side of the debateable ground. Then the English tenant was politeh' invited by his Scotch neighbour to keep his sheep on his own side of the new boundary. On hearing this Mr. Carr took steps to obtain all possible evidence from ancient maps and documents in the British Museum and elsewhere, and instructed his- tenant to turn a (ew sheep on to the disputed land in the meanwhile. Meeting the farmer shorth' afterwards, Mr. Carr said, "Well, Thompson, I suppose }-ou put half-a-dozen sheep or so on to the Plea Shank?" "Oh, no, sir," was the answer,. " aa just wysed on fift\' score!" The result of Mr. Carr's investigations was to show that the land had been either English or debateable for centuries. This was brought to the notice of the officials in charge of the Ordnance Survey,. the already issued maps were recalled and cancelled, and new ones, restoring the Plea Shank to its old "batable" character^ were published. 9 A little to the north of the Camp, near to where Watling Street crosses Chew sike and begins to ascend Brownhart Law towards Scotland, are seen the foundations of a rudely constructed square building. Judging from the many fragments of seventeenth century earthen- ware and glass, along w itli a number of " fairy pipes" that from time to time ha\"e been found in the "kitchen midden," there is no doubt but this is the site of the old ta\ern that existed ^ Wei ford's .1A)I of iMark ''Iwixl Tyiw and 'Iwced.—Moiilhly Chronickj Vol. iii., [.. 385 12 UPPER COQUETDAEE. here during the smugg-ling days, when both salt and whisky- were carried across the border out of Scotland into Northum- berland, and when Watling Street was so much used as a drove-road. The situation of Chew Green and Gamels-path amid those breezy uplands at Coquethead, lying in the very heart of the Cheviots, far removed from the route of the ordinary traveller, is extremely remote. Isolated from the outer world by many miles of "mountain, moss, and moor," its all-pervading stillness, COQUETHEAD TO WINDYHAUOII. 1 5 broken only b}' the bleating of the hill-sheep and the plaintive- cry of the curlew and the plover, conveys to the mind a feeling of impressive solitude. Yet there was a time when this lone spot resounded to the clang of weapons and the tramp of armed men ; when the trained legions of the Romans marched along the newly-made Watling Street and garrisoned the camp below; when the moors around was the scene of many a sanguinary struggle, where now the bent and purple heath hides the stain of ancient battle. While in the later times of border warfare, when the Wardens of the Marches held their courts at " Kemylspethe Walls," administering the rude border laws amongst the rough and ready borderers, how the "baughlins" and the " brulliements" of the turbulent clans and factions would awaken along those lonely hillsides echoes, which have now for centuries happily been silent. " Of fierce and holder forays, full Of darkness, theft, and crime, When the Percy and the Douglas Waged war in olden time." On the north side of the valle}- rise the green bent-covered' ridges of Brownhart Law, a hill of 1,664 feet, which here forms the boundary between England and Scotland. From the crest of Brownhart Law there is an extensive view northward into the fair lands of Scotland, embracing the counties of Berwickshire, Haddington, Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles, with the higher lying grounds of Dumfries on the west ; while nearer hand are the hills of North Tyne, Peel VcU, and Keilder, with Carter Fell and the Redeswire at the head of Redesdale. The fertile plains and rich j^asture lands of Roxburghshire, interspersed b)' many a beautiful patch of woodlanr], and thickl)- dotted with towns and villages, Peniel Ileiigh,"^ llic high peaks of Rubers Law, Dunioii, Penchrise "^ reniclhcugh, near Jedburgh, a monunKiii, 156 feel in height, reared on an clevatirm of nearly 800 feet, conunemorates the victories of Wellington and the. British Army, 14 UPPER COQUETDALE. Pen, being prominent objects in the landscape, which, with the bold and picturesque outlines of the three Eildon hills visible in the distance, form a magnificent jianorama of more than ordinary interest. The Cheviot hills on the Scotch side terminate somewhat suddenly, making the cultivated plains appear to come close in to their very base, in striking contrast to the aspect of the English side of the borderland where : — "Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise." Right in front looms the "long-backed unbending ridge" of Thirlmoor with the dreary upland wastes of Cottonshope extending southwards into Redesdale ; to the east and north- east, as far as the eye can reach, those smooth, green, conical hills, the characteristic formation of the porphyritic Cheviot range, are seen rising one behind another like huge ocean billows. On the south banks of the Coquet, east of Thirlmoor, are the massive heights of Fulhope Edge (i,537 feet), Whar- moor (1,250), Bell's Hill (1,612), Tindale Law (1,250) Dumb- hope Law (1,265), and Long Hill (1,300). On the north side of the river and stretching far eastward is seen, head and shoulders above the others, the majestic form of the Great Cheviot itself (2,676), then Cushat Law, the " Monarch of Kidland" (2,020), Bloodybush Edge (2,001), Yearnspath Law (1,773), Windy Gyle (1,965), Shillhope Law (1,642), Lord's Seat (1,286), Barra Law (1,374), Toft Hill (1,508), Black Braes (1,654), Mozie Law (1,813), Beef Stand (1,672), Beef Stand Hill (1,844), Lamb Hill (1,672), Yearning Law (1,565), Rushy Fell (1,580), Wedder Hill (1,421), Deels Hill (1,623). This truly sublime upland district of Coquetdale is full of thrilling historic associations, which ought to raise in the hearts of all Northumbrians the deepest feeling of veneration, for it was amid its " hoopes and valyes " during those long years of border warfare when the English bow and the Scottish broadsword were seldom at rest — that the best blood of their ancestors so often stained the bent on the hillsides. COQUETHEAD TO WIXDYIIAUCII. 15 and reddened the waters of its streams. Tlie writer of a charming article in the Field a few \-ears ago said : — " There is an attraction in these billowy uplands which increases the better we know them ; beauty in the mighty stretches of green pasture, sloping upwards and backwards, as often as not vanishing into grey mist in the acres of wa^"ing brake, the many coloured rocks and boulders, the flashing streams and burns, the flowers and wild birds, less wild here than in the peopled lowlands. Then there is the silence and all-aloneness of the borderlands, }'OU may walk all da}' and see no one ■except some solitary fisher, or a shepherd and his collies on the fellside ; above all, perhaps there is the consciousness that 3'ou are treading on historic ground, where each hill could tell of some fierce conflict, and where each valley and stream is associated with the loves, the passions, and the death throes of buried races." " It was upon the slopes of Fulhope Edge — five centuries ago, that one of those fierce border fights took place between two large bands of Scotch and English marchmen, of which Ave have the following record : — " While Parliament were assembled on account of the accession of Henr}' IV. to the Throne (1399), the Scots, in addition to the calamity of a pestilence which ravaged the English borders, destroyed the castle of Werk, on the Tweed, and harrassed Northumberland with continued inroads ; but while they were engaged in one of these fearful forrays. Sir Robert de Umfreville, who then had charge of the castles of Harbottle and Roxburgh, fell u[)on them at Fulhope-law, in Coquetdale, rooted them, and took many prisoners, among whom were sir Richard Ruther- ford and his five sons, sir William Stewart and sir John Turnbuli (who had got the surname of ' Out-with-the-Sword ') — for which achievement the King made him Knight of the Garter, and ever after held him in high estimation." '^ " Cheviot Afotintaiits Lone. — Field, Octolici .5i. 4S. l6 UPPER COQUETDALE. Leaving Chew Green with its varied stor}' and following- the windings of the Coquet, we soon pass the shepherd's house at Makendon and that of Fulhope. ^3 Between these two solitary dwellings, there can be seen in the bed of the river a rare feature in the geology of the county, where the rocks of the Silurian age are exposed to view. " Cambro Silurian strata occupy but a small area in the western part of Northumberland, and do not occur in Durham. They are highly inclined against the porphyry in the bed of the Coquet a little above Philip, and extend beyond the source of that river into Scotland. In a deep ravine eastward of Makendon they are well exposed, and the Roman camp at Chew Green is formed out of them, for some of the rampiers are natural walls of Greywacke in situ. Southward of the Coquet they extend for some distance along^ Watling Street. They are a prolongation into Northumber- land of the same formation which runs across Berwick- shire." 14 For the first few miles of its course the Coquet is a mere- streamlet, and any stranger ascending the valley without a: map is almost sure to leave the channel of the Coquet and turn to the left up Fulhope Burn ; besides, being as large a stream as the Coquet, the opening between Thirlmoor and Fulhope Edge, down which the burn flows, appears to be the more direct route. It is not until the Coquet reaches Blind- burn, another mile onwards, after having been augmented by the waters of several sikes and mountain rills, that it begins tO' form itself into a succession of gurgling streams and deep- pools — the very joy of the angler. A quaint old poem con- 's "Fulhope." We have followed the spelling of the 6-mch Ordnance Map, although it is locally termed " Philip," and in the Rentals and Kates for Northum- berland {1663), Hodgson's Northumberland, Part iii., Vol. i., p. 340, it is given thus:— "Sr. Charles Howard— For Wilk wood, ^30 ; Ridlees, ;,{,8o ; Cars- hope, /40 ; Fair Phillips, £'^0 {alias Halerickburne) ; Blind Bourne, £ifi ; Foule Phillips, ;^30— /270." '* Baker and Tate's Flora of Northumberland, p. 3. COQUETUEAD TO WINDVHAUtlH. 1/ tains the following reference to the upper tributaries of the Coquet: — " First Philhope-bum {his next and near akin, As sprung from Thirleniore) to his aid came in, Then Buckhanis-Walls, Blind-burn, and Carles-croft streams, Pour'd in their forces — ' gather'd from th' extremes Of English ground' : — next Rohope's friendly flood Joined them at Slime-foot by a winding road, From Rohope's P'ells — from whence he takes his name. And from whose scarry sides his birth does claim. Next Barrough-burn, whose waters many a mile Had traveird, from the foot of Windy-guile." '^ In a deep pool at Blindburn, locally called the " Maskin,"i'' a large burn trout was caught a few years ago, weighing no less than seven pounds. It is an established fact amongst anglers that there is alw^ays a big trout in Blindburn pool. Blindburn house is picturesquely situated on the north bank of the Coquet, close to where the streamlet that gives it its name enters the main stream. Steep and lofty hills close it in on all sides. The lines given below well describe its surroundings: — "Adieu to thee, Blindburn, sae lone, upon thy braes sae green Thy sheep now bask the livelong day aneath the brent hill-side ; And pleasant is the e'enin' hour, and pleasant is the scene To watch the herd wend owre the sward at gloamin' eventide.'' ■' This extensive pastoral farm consists of four thousand acres, and forms part of the Biddleston estate. It was held for nearly sixty years by the Telfers, a well known famil}-, famous for being the owners of a pure breed of " Dandie Dinmonts." From Blindburn a cart road leads down the valley, winding along the very brink of the river without the slightest protection, and as at some parts the elevation above the stream is considerable, it is not the safest of paths for vehicular traffic. Passing Carlcroft, where the Coquet has to '5 The Marriage of the Coquet and the Alwine, \i 2. '* Maskin — probably from the manner in which the water boils \\\> in the pooL " Maskin-pot" is an old name for tea-i)ol. — Wright's Glossary. ■' Coqttetdale Soug Fishing, p. 104. 2 iS UPPER COQUETDALE. be crossed by the most awkward ford of all, and Carshope, both of which are shepherds' houses, overshadowed by the form of the mighty Wharmoor, the traveller comes to where Rowhope burn enters the Coquet. Here a large whinstone rock may be noticed on the north bank. Close to this rock there formerly stood a public-house called Slyme-foot, which, during the eighteenth century, was the winter resort of all the neighbouring sheep farmers, where they spent their time in gambling and drinking, whilst their shepherds came every day to receive their orders and carry the news. " Dr. Sharp, then Rector of Rothbury and Archdeacon of Northumberland, threatened the offenders with ecclesiastical punishment if they did not desist and weekly attend their respective places of worship. His injunctions had the desired effect ; and since that time no such riotous assemblies have been held, while the superior knowledge and correct conduct of the present sheep farmers have operated to produce a correspondent change in the character of their servants." ^^ The w^hisky at Slyme-foot was innocent of duty, being the product of the illicit distilleries, then so numerous amongst the hills of Upper Coquet. This contraband traffic was carried on in so bold and daring a manner, that the barley required for the manufacture of this "real mountain dew" was carted in open daylight from the lower parts of the valley, and the peats were cut in close vicinity to the " still," without any attempt at concealment, the border smuggler deeming the inaccessibility of his retreat quite a sufficient safeguard against a visit from the "gauger." One of the most notorious ofthe.se smugglers was named " Rory." The remains of " Rory's still " are yet to be seen in the " Hare Cleughs," a secluded glen below Davidson's Linn, on the Usway burn, said to be in the best state of preservation of any illicit still on the borders. Rory had other stills in Rowhope, Carlcroft, Saugh Rig, Kitty's Walls, and Blind burn. So well concealed was the '^ Mackenzie's Northumberland. CO()UETHEAD TO WIXDVHAUGH. 19 latter, amid the rough ground up Blind burn, that on no less than four occasions the gangers, although within 200 yards of the spot, failed to find it. At that time "innocent whisky" Avas sold by the smugglers up and down the whole valley, and it is yet in the memories of some of the older dalesmen, those secret visits of the smugglers amongst the farm houses and •u' \f^J/..- hamlets in Upper Coquctdale and Redewater, who carried with them kegs and " grey-hens " '9 of duty-free whisk}-. Many an amusing story is told of how they ran the gauntlet, anrl of the narrow escapes both the buyer and the seller harl "' CJrey-hen — a large stone-ware Ixjttle. — Northtiinhcrlami IVoids, l)y Richard 'Oliver Heslop, 20 UPPER COQUETDALE. from falling into the hands of the excisemen, who were generally well mounted and armed with cutlass and pistols. In those days there were only three stone bridges on the Coquet — these were at Warkworth, Felton, and Rothbury ,' therefore when the river and its mountain tributaries were in flood, it was a difficult and somewhat perilous undertaking for the ganger to perform the duties of his office, especially in the upper reaches of the Coquet. It is told of a certain worthy limb of the law, who for several years was stationed at Harbottle — and with whom, by the way, the smugglers were on the best of terms, for the lonely exciseman had a weak- ness for peat-flavoured whisky — that one of the most frequent entries in his official diary was the pithy remark "stopp'd wi" witters." Rowhope burn, having been joined by the Trows burn, here issues from between the steep slopes of the Slyme and Barra Law and mingles its waters with the Coquet at Rowhope-burn-mouth, or as the old fishing song has it : — •' Oh ! come, we"ll gae up by the Trows Where the burnie rins wimplin' an' clear, Where the bracken an' wild heather grows, An' the wild-rose is sweet on the briar." The winding road still follows along the banks of the Coquet, encircled on ever\' side by lofty green hills. Presently Windy- haugh, Barraburn, and Loungesknowe appear in sight — three shepherds' houses standing within bowshot of each other. Here Barra burn — " whose waters many a mile had travell'd from the foot of Windy-guile" — rushes noisily around the base of K}-loe Shin, and joins the Coquet. WINDYHAUGH TO ALWINTOX. 21 CHAPTER II. ■\VINDYHAUGH TO ALWIXTON. ^Vinc^yhaugh— Grant of Fulling Mill to the Monks of Xewminster by Gilbert de Umfraville — Loungesknowe — Barraburn — Old Doorhead at Windyhaugh — The Preachin' Trees— Windyhaugh School and its " Maister" — The Wedder- loup — Shillhope Cleugh — Shillhope Racks — The Rail End — Kateshaw Crag — Policeman's Hole — Shillmoor and the Ords — French Prisoners of War at Shillmoor, 1813 — Shillmoor Ford — The Usway — Quickening Cote — Linn- sheels — Linnbrigg — Passpeth— Border Watch, ]552--Widdrington Owners of Linnsheels, 1632 — George Pott, 1663 — Sir Charles Howard, Wilkwood, &c., 1663 — Horse Stealing, Sheep Stealing, 1629 — Curious Conditions in Lease of Wilkwood, 1818- Corn Mills in Upper Coquet, 1663 and 1826 — Linnsheels F'ord —Roger Horsley's Pele at Linnbrigg, 1541 — Pulilick Roupe at Linljridge, 1749 — Barrow Scar — Barrow Pele, 1541. IX the bed of the Coquet, on the north bank of the river, opposite Windyhaugh, the foundations of an ancient building and fragments of timber were discernible a few years ago when the water was low and clear. These were no doubt the remains of the fulling mill of the monks of Xewminster, whose possessions in mediaeval times e.xtended to and beyond Barraburn. Many of the larger stones have been taken out and used as gate posts, and several are to be seen in the adjacent buildings. Porphyry is the only stone obtainable for miles round ; these blocks are of a very hard, close-grained freestone, unlike any found in the freestone quarries lower •down the valley. The doorhead of the (;ld house at Windy- haugh and other stones in the building have evidently been taken from the walls of the monks' fulling mill. The western boundaries of Kidland, once the lands of Xew- minster Abbey, runs along the ridges of Black I^raes, Hindside Xnowe, and the Slymc, down to the Coquet at Rowhope-burn- 'JO UPPER COQUETDALE. mouth. The only portion of Kidland that abuts on the Coquet is tliat between Rowhope and Barraburn. Barra- burn was formerh' called Hepden burn, a name it still bears, near its source on Hazley Law (1,634 feet), far up the hills. abo\e " Murder Cleuo;h." In the Newminster Cartulary there are records of grants having been made about the end of the twelfth century by William de Umfraville, and again by Gilbert de Umfraville, to the monks of Newminster, in which the following places and tracts of land are particularly noted : — ■" Hangande-scauhe, Osweiburn, Hepden, Rohope,. \^^}'ndihege, Halrehopeburne, Kidlandburne, Redepeth, Ernes- peth, Holhopcriwes, Blackdenhed, Scorthope, Fastside, Alri- barnes, Ruhopeburne, and Koket ; " also a license for a fulling mill ";it Hepdenburnemuth et Ruthopburn on Coket." ^ Loungesknowe is named in the " Rentals and Rates of 1663 " as " Loundering Know," the property of Mrs. Jane Carnaby of Farnham, while "Barra" belonged at that time to three persons, Thomas Pott, Samuel Collingwood, and George- Pott, and assessed at an annual rental of ^12. Windyhaugh and its owner is not mentioned in this list, but on the door- head of the old house are cut the letters i. 1760, the initials of James Burn and his wife Catherine (Young). This- was the famous "Sir Burn" of Kidland, whose name is found ' License for Fulling Mill. — "Gilbert de Umfraville, salutem — Know ye that I, for the salvation of my soul and of the souls of my ancestors and heirs, grant to the monks of Newminster the License of making and strengthening the pool of their fulling mill at Hep:len, upon my land on the southern side of Coquet between llepdenburnemouth and Ruchope burn, where it may be most convenient to them,, and of repairing it as often as is necessary." — Newminster Cartulary, p. 78. WINDYHAUGH TO ALWINTON. 23 in the Xorthumbeiland Poll Book for 1734 as having freeholds in Harbottle and Alwinton, but residing at " Keadland Lee." In a corner of the meadow at Windyhaugh stands three venerable ash trees, beneath whose shelter " preachin's" were, in former years, held during the summer months by the Presbyterian ministers of Harbottle, when shepherds and their families came long distances over the hills, e\'en from the Scotch side, to attend the meetings. We ha\e heard these Sunday afternoon open-air services spoken of as delightful and refreshing, the quaint old measures of the metrical Psalms and Paraphrases — so dear to the Presbyterians of the past, and now, alas! so little known — sung b}' the \igorous voices of the hill-folk to the solemn strains of the "Old Hundred," "Old 124th," "Dundee," or "Martyrdom." The sweet solitude of the spot, the murmuring ripples of the Coquet, the deep shadows of the everlasting hills, with only the clear blue canopy of heaven overhead, a picture of the • Covenanting scenes we have read of; when, r.ome two cen- turies ago, under less favoured circumstances, the proscribed borderers met together ii^ the glens and on the hill- sides of the Lammermoors and the Cheviots ; gatherings or "conventicles" which doubtless formed the nucleus of the " meeting houses " now represented by the substantial edifices and large congregations found at Harbottle, Branton, and Jiirdhopecraig. At Windyhaugh we fnid an undenominational voluntary school, and although this is without doubt the most remote school in the county, the scholars daily walking several miles across the fells or down the valley to attend it, yet it obtains ver>' excellent reports from the Government Inspectors. Previous to the establishment of a school at Windyhaugh, the elementary education of the shepherds' families, living so ma.iy miles apart, had always been a difficult (lucstioii. \\ hen Mr. Blythe, the present master, first came into (.'ocjuet Water, over thirt}- )'ears ago, a 24 UPPER COQUETDALE. simple but practical system for "schooling" the children prevailed. The custom was for the shepherds to engage a teacher at a fixed salary, or he took his chance by charging threepence a week for each scholar, the teacher living and boarding with the shepherd as one of the family, his stay at each house depending upon the number of children the shepherd had as pupils ; if there were three in the house, he stayed three weeks, and so on, thus going up and down amongst the families in regular rotation, his pupils following their master to the various centres when the distance was not too great. This primitive arrangement was in many respects a happy one, and the educational results fairly satis- factory, while— at least in the case of Mr. Blythe — the parents had, during his temporary residence with them, the advantage of a genial and highly intelligent fireside com- panion. There was a school of this description at Linnbriggs for a considerable time; also at Carlcroft, Uswayford, and Milkhope, where there were at that time numerous families. The present school was opened in the July of 1S79, but for about three years before that, date an "adventure school" had been conducted in the house of Mr. Robt. Cowans, at Windyhaugh, the discontinuance of which, owing to insufficient accommodation, was the primary cause of the erection of the new and well-appointed school-room. Speaking of Mr. Blythe, we once had the happiness when botanizing in the uplands of Coquet to have the "Schoolmaster" for our companion, and as Mr. Blythe was familiar with every nook and crannie of the river, his assistance was most valuable. It was pleasing to witness the affectionate manner the " maister " was greeted at the shepherds' houses on our way, and how kindly he enquired after the members of the family, his old pupils, each by name — it was evident — "A man he was to all the country dear." Happily for himself, as well as others, Mr. Blythe has his hobbies — he is fond of geology, botany, and natural history WINDYHAUGH TO ALWINTON. 25 and a little museum of local curiosities neatly arranged in his schoolroom, interspersed with window plants and some of the rarer ferns of the locality picked up in his rambles through the glens of Cheviot, add quite a charm to the interior. Here on a window sill lies a piece of Greywacke rock from Makendon camp, there a fine collection of beautifully veined •Coquet pebbles, while on another sill may be seen fragments •of seventeenth century pottery and " fairy-pipes " from the ruins of the old hostelry at Coquethead, along with the key that locked and unlocked the door of the Slyme-foot public house a century-and-a-half ago. Our friend Mr. Blythe, besides being postmaster, spends much of his bisure time in reading. He delights in the writings of Hogg, Byron, Burns, Sir Conan Dc^yle, Mrs. Henry Wood, S. R. Crockett, Sir Walter Scott, and in all literature relating to border histor\'. i'crhaps the most pfjj)ular event amongst the hill people is the annual concert given in the school-room, generally during tlu- month of January. A full description of one of these meetings will be found in Chap. V., where it is given as a sidelight to the 26 UPPER CO(^UKTI)AT.K. social life of the ingenuous people who reside in this remote district. This small cluster of houses and school-house, which is also the Post Office, may be considered as the central dep6t for the higher reaches of the Coquet, for here all the shepherds* supplies are brought by the carriers, flour dealers' and grocers' carts, and left in the safe keeping of Mr. Andrew Robson, at Barraburn, who stores them ujj until carts are sent down the vale from Makendon on one hand and Uswayford on the other. A short distance below \Vind)-haugh ihc Coquet has cut for itself a passage through the solid rock, forming a long deep pool, known as " The Wedder Loup," famous for its big fish, but dangerously near the road that skirts its brink. The tradition attached to this pool is, that during the later moss- trooping days, when that respectable border profession was on the wane, a " lifter" one night carried off a nice plump wedder from the flock grazing on the slopes of Shillhope Law. The daring sheep-stealer had not proceeded very far ere the loss was discovered. Immediately the owner and his men gave chase. The "Hot Trod" proved short but decisive. Handi- capped by the wedder tied around his neck, hill fashion, he was run to bay at this particular spot. To leap the chasm was his only chance of escape ; therefore all was risked in one desperate bound. His feet touched the opposite bank ; he clutched and struggled, but in vain — the wedder around his neck proved a very millstone to the fugitive, dragging him with his ill-gotten booty backwards into the murky depths of the pool below. Since then its name has been " The Wedder Loup." About a mile-and-a-quarter down the valley from Windy- haugh, where, as the poet sings : — " Round Shilhope Law young Coquet's sUeam — A half-grown sykc — is wimplin' wild," the road crosses the Coquet at Bygate Hall Ford, near the base of Dumbhope Law, and ascends the southern shoulder \V1MjMIAL(.11 T(J ALWINTOX. 27 of Shillhopc Law, alonc^ by Shillhopc Clciij^h,'- at a di/./.y height abo\c the bed of the stream, llcrc the road bears the name of Shillhope3 Racks.4 Ow the opposite bank is "The Rail l^nd," a well-known landmark to the anj^ler. On approaching Shillmoor, a picturesque rock, marked on the ordnance map " Kateshavv Crajr," is seen jutting upon the roadway, on which grows in profusion the rock rose, burnet rose, maiden pink, (Golden hkI, St. John's wort, wild thyme, and other ]jlants of a porphyritic fltjra type. A few yards further on, the stream falls over a ridge of rock forming a fine cascade, ending in a stretch of deep water, where, some years ago, an unfortunate policeman was drowned whilst bathing ; hence the pool has since been caller! " I'f>liceman's Hole." The comfortable well-to-do-looking farm house of .Shillmocjr '■' Clcugh — a rocky ravine. — Heslop. ^ Hope — a smaller valley branching off the main valley. — Il)i Quickening Cote is a corruption of Whittington Cote, also known as "Aydon Shiels." It was held by the owners of Aydon Castle, near Corljridge, as well a.s by the owners of Whittington. In 1663 it is described as "Adon Shiels alias Quicking Court ;" proprietor, Mrs. Jane Carnaby ; rental, /^So. 20 UIM'KR COQUETDALE. J hill pasture, and winds along the " Inch," a high narrow neck of land, having the Coquet far beneath on the left and Ridlees burn on the rights while Linnshiels and Linnbrigg come in sight round the bend of the river. We are told in Hodgson's History of NortJmuiberland that in iSio a cross stood near the junction of Ridlees burn and the Coquet, where the road divided, one way going up Coquet, the other by Ridlees into Cottonshope, but it has been — says that historian, writing in 1826 — rolled into Ridlees burn and made into a stepping stone. Before reaching Linnbrigg the Coquet rushes with great impetuosity between rugged and precipitous cliffs of porphyry, forming a succession of waterfalls, deep dark pools, and rippling streams, teeming with trout. Well did the writer •of the following lines know this romantic corner : — "Then we'll off to the Coquet with hook, hair, and heckle. With our neat taper gads and our well-belted creels, And far from the bustle and din o' Newcastle, Begin the campaign at the streams o' Linn-shiels." Far above on the left bank of the river rise lofty cliffs of a great height. The face of this steep acclivity is traversed by " Passpeth," a perilous path, nothing more than a sheep- track overlooking the linns, to be trod only by those possessed of a sure foot and clear head. It was on these exposed heights that the men of Upper Coquet some three centuries ago had to keep watch, night and day, to guard against the incursions ■of the Scottish Freebooters. In the "Border Laws" is found the following system of watch and ward in this upland ■district : — " The Day- Watch of Cookdaill, beginning at Passpethe. Allenton to watch to Paspethe with two Men every Day : Setters and Searchers of this Watch, John Wylkinson, the Laird of Donesgrene, JoJin Wylkinson, otherwise called Gordes John, The Greyt Kneys to be watched with the Inhabitants of Clennell, Newton, and the Nezv-Jiall : Setters and Searchers ■of the same, Persevall Clennell and William Gallon. WINDVHAUGH TO ALWIXTON. 3! The Kaye-Cragge to be watched with two Men o{ Bedcls- dan: Percevall Sclbc and Thomas Davy son to be Setters and Searchers of this Watch. Fulbere^ Ceiilghfoot, W/iytlawlechc, and Sandforth above Barrow, to be watched with the Inhabitors of Barrow, Har- hottill, the Peylles and the Holystone, the Woddhouscs and F^rrt'i?/, with six Men nightly: Setters and Searchers, P^r^^z/rt// Fenwyke and S&r John Hall, Prcst. Item. — The Passages from Allenton to Clenell to be kept with Four Men of the Inhabitors of Allenton, the Parkheyd, Newton, Foxton, and Newhall. The Passages from Clenell to Byttlesden to be kept with four Men nightly of the Inhabitors of Clenell and Burroden. Setters and Searchers of the Watches betwixt Allenton and Clenell — Percevall Unthank, and George Browne, THE Pass- ages from Byttlesden to Skarnwood to be watched with four Men nightly of the Inhabitors of Byttlesden, Cotwalles, Netherton, and Ellebaye." ('' The ORDER 0/ the Watches upon the Middle Marches, made by the Lord Whai'ton, Lord Deputy Generall of all the three Marches, under my Lord of North- umberland's Grace, Lord Warden Generall of all the said Marches, in the Month of October, /// the Sixth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King Pldward the Sixth." )^ We can almost picture to ourselves, when viewing the rocky defiles at Linnsheels, those rough and ready men of Coquet, armed with bow and spear, steel cap and breast-plate, a thick woollen muffler around their neck — " not for cold, but cutting" — lying in wait day and night on the lofty western ridge of Lord's Seat, and the .stealthy visits of their officers — the setters and .searchers of the watch — to find the men at their posts') ready to give an alarm on the first sight of a hostile band of Scots winding down the valley of the Coquet, or the men of * Leges Marchiariiin (Nicolson), 1747, pp. 181-3. 9 Any Warder not fDiiml at his post l>y llic Searcher nf the Watch was lialile to a fine of si.\-and-eightpence. 32 Uri'ER COQUETDALE. Liddesdale or Redewater, down by Ridlees burn. On the south side of the river Coquet, in the neighbourhood of Linn- sheels, amongst the " graynes and hoopes" of the Wilkwood's,. Dykeham's Edge, and the Ridlees, the farmers of Redesdale,. according to the Surv^ey of 1541, pastured their flocks and herds during the summer months, themselves living in " sheals " or " shealings "^° — the probable origin of the name Linnsheels — the " shiel " at the Linn, as Battleshield on the Usway was the "shiel" of Batail. Linnsheels (and all that part of the parish of Alwinton south of the Coquet) was in- cluded within the lordship of Redesdale and Harbottle, for many centuries the domain of the potent Umfravilles. In course of time this great franchise came to be divided ; there- fore, in 1632, we find Roger Widdrington, of Cartington, the owner of " Lindsheildes," for it was in that year Roger's romantic marriage with Rosamond, the widow of Bertram Reveley, of Mitford, took place. The ceremony was per- formed in a field on the Scotch side of the border. On passing Linnsheels the wedding party was joined by two of Roger Widdrington's tenants, Edward Hall and John Hall,, who accompanied Roger across the border, and were witnesses to the marriage, for which all parties concerned were cited tO' appear before the High Commission Court at Durham. George Pott, who also owned Lantern Cleugh (Campville)^ was the owner of Linnsheels in 1663. At the same time Sir Charles Howard was assessed at ^,270 a year for Wilkwood,. Ridlees, Carshope, Fair Philips, Blindburn, and P'oul Philips,, places included within the ancient bounds of Redesdale." Even as late as the seventeenth century the men of this '° Shealins — temporary huts as shelter places. These sheels were built of sods and covered with poles carrying roofs of turf or moor rushes. — Heslop. "All over the wastes, as they call them, you would think you see the ancient Nomades- — a martial sort of people that from April to August lie in little huts, which they call sheals and shealings, here and there among their several flocks." — Gibson's Camden, 1610. " The lion rampant of the Howards is cut on the newel stair of Elsdon Castle^ which was a portion of the Redesdale lordship. WINDVHAUGH TO ALWIXTOX. 33 district had e\-idently done " a little shifting for their living." In the Calendar of prisoners l)'ing in the " High Castle," of Xe\vcastle-on-Tyne, waiting their trial at the Assizes of Jul\-, 1629, we find the name of " Edward Trumble, sonne of John Trumble, of Wilkwood, charged with the felonious stealeing of one bay mare, the goodes of Lancelot Ogle, of Darras-hall, gent."^- During the early part of the nineteenth century East Wilkwood was held b\' a farmer named Daniel Wood, whose lease in 1818 stated that he "shall and will make use of one of the corn mills belonging to the said Walter Selb\- for the grinding of all such corn as the said Daniel Wood, his servants, and cottagers shall have occasion for." Daniel had also to "walk ^3 a game cock, feed a spaniel dog, and spin four pounds of lint ^4 yearl}' for the squire of Biddleston." The lease from which this extract is taken is signed b\- Walter Selby, Daniel Wood, junior, and Jasper Gibson. ^5 The corn mills belonging to the Biddleston estate in 1663 and 1826 were Netherton, Holystone, and Barrow. In 1826 Robert Oliver had Netherton Mill ; Joseph Oliver, Holystone Mill ; and John Anderson, Barrow Mill. The latter was probabh' the mill u.sed by Daniel Wood. These mills are now silent, the big water wheels motionless, most of the buildings in ruins, and the country-folk, instead of having their " batches " ^^ of home-grown corn ground at local mills — the " lord's mill " of olden day.s — ^are supplied with flour and meal stuff by flour dealers from centres such as Rothbury. Once more the Coquet, now a considerable stream, has to be crossed, from Linnsheels to Linnbrigg, b\' a swing foot bridge of great elasticity, or through a ford full of big " Archicologia yEliana (old series), Vol. i. , p. 161. _ '3 Walk — to keep and feed a gamecock. '* Linen or flax. '5 Extract from original lease, kindly lent Ijy Mr. John Rutter, East VVoodburn. '' Batch — a small lot of meal for family use. The hinds, when paid in kind Ijy corn, &c., look these small quantities to the (local) miller, who made lliciii into "latches."— Heslop. 34 UPPER COQUETDALE. boulders, dangerous to vehicles when the river is flooded, if a certain rock well known to the hill shepherds is covered with water ; for here the torrent rushes with wild velocity, rolling in its course the boulders that fill the bed of the stream. A Border stronghold once stood at Linnbrigg, probably on the level plot of ground near to the present farm buildings. This Avas the most western pele ^7 in Upper Coquetdale. The Survey of 1541 thus records it: "At the Lynne brigge there hathe bene a stone house of thinherytaunce of one Rog. Horseley, but yt was brounte and casten downe by the Scottes in t)'me paste, and the owener hathe gathered the stones thereof unto a place of more strength nere unto the same, and to buylde a newe bastell house as his power wyll serve hym Intendeth." Of Roger Horsley's "stone house" there is now no trace, but on the "Ducket knowe," a rising piece of ground in a field to the east of Linnbrigg, on the right-hand side of the road leading to Alwinton, there is a large pile of stones. This, in all probability, is the " place of more strength " where the owner had gathered the material with which to build his " newe bastell house," but had not been able to do so. From the elevated site of Roger's proposed stronghold there is a fine view westward, embracing Ridlees burn and Coquet valley. Across the river may be seen " Selb}''s Lake," a natural sheet of water abounding with perch, on the moors between Linnsheels and the Wilkwoods ; whilst eastward cornfields and hedgerows appearing in the distance, and a magnificent bed of the yellow iris in a sike close by the road, are signs that the traveller is now approaching the lowlands. The following quaint notice of a sale, found amongst the Records of Harbottle Presbyterian Church, is of interest, as it evidently indicates the decadence of the Horsley family at Linnbrigg: — " This is to Give Nottis that there is to be sold, at Linbridge, in the Parish of Allinton, on friday, the I2th '7 Pele —a four-square tower used formerly for defence. WIXDVliAUGll TO ALWIXTOX. 35 day of May (1749), the goods of Mis Peggy Horsley, Consistting of Ewe and Lambs, Wethers, Dinments, Gimers and Hoggs, Kowes and Calfs, and Kowes wanton Calfs, and other Young Cattle, with Horses and implyments of Hus- bandry, and all sorts of Houshold furnitur, all to be sold by way of publick Roupe, and six months Creditt for finding good security, the other Artickles to be Knowen att the place of sale. " X.B.. — There is A good Stak of old hay Also to be sold." In the list of prisoners to be presented for trial at the Assizes of January, 1629, the old Border story of "cattle lifting " is found often repeated, for instance : — " George Wilkinson of Allanton, for suspe'con of the felonious stealeing of two sheepe, the goodes of James Marshall of Lintbrigge." After leaving Linnsheels and Linnbrigg the road and the river both take a direct easterly course for two miles towards Alwinton, skirting the southern base of Lord's Seat and Greenside Hill. About midway between Linnsheels and Alwinton, the bare shale cliffs of Barrow Scar,^^ as well as the marked difference in the geological formation of the valley— the porphyrite of the round-topped heights on the north, and the rough heatlier-clad hills of sandstone-grit on the south — cannot fail to strike the eye of the observant tourist as he traverses the vale. High up on the left banks of the river towers the green crest of Lord's Seat, while down in the meadows on the level haugh stands Barrow Mill with Barrow Scroggs,i9 Barrow Knocks,2o and Barrow on the o{)posite banks '* Scar— a rough, bare precipice. — Mcslop. " In Barrow Scar, a fine liver clift' (jf the Coquet east of Linsheeles, the Ijeds of the Cenicnl-linicstone group have Ijuen laid o|jen to a depth of about 200 feet. They consist of ahernations of jjreenish shale. These strata are very variable in iheir character." — Memoirs of the Geohi^ical Survey (Hugh Miller), 1877, \>. 11. '' Scroggs — rough brush wofxl. — Ileslop. '" Knox, Cnox (Gadhelic) — a knoll, hill, or niDund. — Diitioiiary of Plaic Names (C. Hlackie), 1S87. '■^Landslips — such for instance are the Barrow Knocks— a wilderness of detached huiiiniocks and irregular terraces of freestone." ^]Av//<7i> (Hugh Miller), 1877, p. 120. 36 Ul'l'KR COQUKTDAI.E. of the Coquet. The modern house at Barrow stands in ai pleasant and sequestered spot on the northern banks of Barrow burn, amid a fine setting of natural wood of elm, birch,, and hazel. The house itself has been built of the stones of the pole tower that, in the troublous days of border warfare, stood a few )'ards to the west, where traces of the foundations may }-et be seen. Several copper coins — half-turners of Chas. II. — ^have been found in the ruins by Mr. John Carruthers. Like its neighbour at Linnbrigg, it is many centuries ago since it was " ruyned by the warres." The Survey of 1541 says: — " At Barrowc a lytle above Hartbottell upon the southe syde of the same ryv' of Cokett standeth the olde walles of a lytle fortresse of the Inherytance of one Gerrard Barrowe which in l}'me past was brounte and rased by the Scottes Ln a warre tyme. And so remaineth still waste because the oweners thereof have bene but poor men and not able nor of power sythens to reparrell the same." The road down the valley now emerges from under the shadow of those massive green hills, whose lofty peaks are the very glory of Upper Coquet- dale, and Alwinton — the first village on the English side of the Cheviots — is seen in the bottom of the valley, with its ancient church, its snug vicarage, and comfortable hostelries. KIDLAND. 37 CHAPTER III. KIDLAXD. •(Irants to Monks of Newminstei— Boundaries of Kidland — Paucity of British Remains in Kidland and Upper Coquet — Memmerkirk — Suppression of Monasteries, 1536— Crown Lands, 1 541 —Survey of Kidland, 1541 — Danger from Thieves — Lack of Tenants — Names of Hills and Hopes, 1541 — - Boundaries of the Middle March— Wardens' Meetings — Lord Russell shot, 1585 — Northumbrian Borderers present — Russell's Cairn on Windy gyle — Knquiry into I^rd Russell's Death — Scottish Raids into Coquetdale — Border I'risoners, 1629 — Border Raiding somewhat excusable — Better State of Kidland from 1663 — Aspect of Kidland to-day — Its Hills — \'iew from Cushat Law — Sheep Farmers of Kidland a century ago. AWAY to the north, beyond the \illage of Ah\inton, reaching to the very borders of Scotland, there stretches a wide, sparsely inhabited waste of steep and loft}' hills, divided by narrow winding glens or hopes. This remote upland district was, during the monastic age in England, part of the possessions of the monks of Newminster. Xewminstcr Abbey was founded in 1 1 37 by Ralph de Merlay for the use of the Cistercian order. Soon after their settlement on the banks of the VVans- beck, the Northumbrian barons began to grant those white- robed monks large tracts of land, with many other rights and ]:)rivileges throughout the county. None were more liberal in their gifts to the Abbey of Newminster than the l^mfravillc lords of Redesdalc and Ilarbottlc. In iiSi, Odinel dc Umfravillc granted a lease of common right in Alwcnt and Kidland for t\\cnl}'-nine }'cars. The dogs of the monks to lack one fo(jt, that the lords' u ild am'mals might ha\c peace. William de Umfraville, son of Odinel, gave to the monks a 38 II'I'KR CXK^L'ETDALE. grant of " W'itelows, in Cheviot moors, Hangandescauhe, Osweiburne, Hepden, Rohope, Wyndihege." Richard de Umfra\-illc, another son of Odinel, also gave grants of land in Kidland, Scorthope, Fastside, Koket, Ruhopeburne, and a license for a fulling mill at Hepdenburnmouth et Ruthope- burn, on Coket.^ To give the monks and their servants free passage through Coquetdale, in their frequent journeyings to and from New- minster, to the hill pastures of Kidland, grants of right of way were given them b)- the various owners in the valley through whose lands their route lay, notabh' — Bickerton^ Hepple, Caistron, Wreighill, Flotterton, Farnham, Sharperton,. and Clennell. In 122S there was an "Agreement with Thomas, de Clenill about rights of way by the Alwent into Kideland. ' Luke Talboys ' gave them right of wa}' through ' Hepphale,' and ' Robert de Hepphall ' granted them right of way through all his lands in Northumberland." - There was also an agree- ment made by the monks with Thomas, the rector of Alwinton, respecting the tithes payable to Alwinton, from " Superius Kidland," Holehope, Apetreley, Elfenseth, White- burne, Ruhope. Thomas, the rector, to give the abbot of Newminster " a pound of pepper and a pound of incense annually." 3 Roughly speaking, the lordships of Kidland con- sists of about 17,000 acres. I'he heights of Cairn Hill (2,545), Score Head (1,750), Butt Roads (1,718), Cocklaw (1,700), and Windy Gyle (1,965) form its northern boundary; as the ridges of Wether Cairn (1,834), Sting Head (1.500), Cushat Law (2,020), Blood>'bush Edge (2,001), and Lint-land.s (1,665) form its eastern limits ; while its western confines extend from Black Braes (1,654) along the crest of Hindside Knowe (1,501), as far as Rowhopeburnmouth, at Slyme-foot, thence down the Coquet to Barraburn. Its southern boundary, commencing ' Newminstei' Cartulary, p. 78. (See translation of aVjove, Note i, p. 22.), ^ Ibid , p. 163. 3 Ibid., p. 81. KIDLANI). 39 at Wether Cairn, runs west by Allerhope burn and Kidlandlee dean ; leaving the latter, it takes a northerly direction, keeping the tops of the hills on the left bank of Usway burn, until it reaches the summit of Yearnspath Law '1,775). ^^orth of Fairhaugh it crosses the Usway, mounts Middle Hill (1,296), and, striking Barra burn, follows its course b}* the foot of Kyloe Shin (1,418; down to the river Coquet. For upwards of three hundred and fifty years (1181 to 1536^ the monks of Newminster held the lordship of Kidland. During the greater part of that period its pastures were let to the border men on the English side of the Cheviots, but at one time the brethren, finding tenants scarce, and rents small, were induced to farm it themselves ; therefore, stocking it with their own sheep and cattle, they sent their serv-ants — probably lay brethren — to tend and guard the flocks against the raiding Scots and men of Redesdale. Notwithstanding these precautionar}- measures, the wild border thieves " lifted " the cattle of the monks in such numbers, besides murdering their herdsmen, that they were fain to give it up, and once more let the Kidland grazing grounds to the hardy borderers of Upper Coquet who, living near the spot, were not only better able to hold their own, but when occasion served were not at all averse to replenish their stocks by reprisal raids upon their neighbours' herds, for — " Near lo Border frontier in time of war. There ne'er a man Init he's a freebooter." Along the banks of the Kidland streams are found numerous foundations of buildings and enclosures, most of them rectangular, some of them roughly rounded, which have frequently been taken for l^ritish dwellings. These are, no doubt, the remains of the summer huts or "shealings" of the .shepherd monks of Xewminstcr. Traces of a much earlier occupation are, however, foinul .scattered over some of the hillsides. On the western slopes of Dryhopc 1 1 ill, overlooking the ^'oke burn, occur a nuinber of small uKnuids containing the burials of a pre-historic race, and (;ii the same hill arc a 40 UPPER COQUETDALE. series of earthworks and hut-circles. Further down the valley of the Alwin are circular camps — on Clennell hill, Gallowlaw, and Lord's Seat, close in to Alwinton ; but up the main valley of the Coquet, above Alwinton, the remains of those ancient dwellings are extremely scant. The late Dr. Hardy, who carefully explored the Coquet and its tributary streams far up amongst the hills, found very few traces of a pre-historic population, as the following extract from his report will shew : — " I have," says Dr. Hardy, " been alone or in company with Mr. James Thomson (Shawdon) over the greater part of Kidland, or the remote and desolate moorlands about the head of the Coquet, and all along the peaty, swampy, and broken ground from the Hanging Stone to Chew Green, and southward to the line of the Western Watling Street at the Outer Golden Pot and the head of Cottonshope, and across behind Thirlmoor and Philip and Blindburn, and questioned the shepherds wherever they were met, without eliciting much information on the subject of this enquiry. There are two classes of hut-dwellings in the sheltered ravines of this undulating congeries of hills, or in the nooks of their many winding streamlets, not readily separable — the elder aborigines, the more modern of tl^e shielings of the Borderers, who summered their cattle and sheep upon the mountain pastures. These are less numerous in the upper grains than in commodious positions lower down the courses of the streams. The remains of camps are scarce. Except the great sepulchral cairns crowning some of the hill-tops, as on Hogden, the Border ridge near the Windy Gyle, the three cairns of Thirlmoor, and a great green mound at the outcome of a feeder of the Coquet below Blindburn, and another on a hillock near that place, and situated to the west of it, the native tombs are rarely discernible. The suggestion so frequently repeated that Barrow (Barra) burn in Kidland, and the tributary of the same name that enters the Coquet above Alwinton derive their name from the numerous KIDLAND. 41 "barrows on their banks, is a mere etymological imagination. Barrow is not a North of England term as applied to sepul- chral hillocks. In one of the early Charters of Xewminster Abbey, the land adjacent to the Kidland streamlet is written " Alribarnes." Perhaps there were "barns" attached to the .ancient mill here, whether it was a waulk4 or corn mill. Decayed alder trees are still washed up by floods near the exit ■of the Kidland Barrow (Barra) burn. I examined its course to the extreme uplands with a special outlook for barrows, and saw none. Of old the stream was called Hepden burn. Messrs. John and Robert Anderson spoke of a cairn that had stood by the roadside as people proceed from BUndburn to Buckham's Walls, which was dug out about 1826, for •erecting Mr. Telfer's farm-house and other buildings at Blind- burn. An urn, which was broken by the pick, was obtained in it, which was ornamented in the British chevron style, and contained burnt bones and ashes ; apparently a cinerary urn. Near old Usway Ford, which lies lower down the water than the present shepherd's residence, near the end of the Trows fir plantations, a conspicuous landmark in those wild, featureless pastures, where a finger-post once stood in a socket, a cist was dug up. It "was built round about with stones," as edging to it. It was hollow, and contained bones and ashes; the bones were slender and small. They were sent to Dr. Richardson, Harbottle. Mr. John Anderson found a triangular heart-shaped (barbed) flint arrow-head in digging his potato ground, near Milkhope. An arrow or spear-head of flint had likewise been found at Usway Ford, near the potato }'ards ; and an oval head (^r " drop," perforated near one end, of a grey stone, and very smooth, " as smooth as could be made," possibly an amulet or bead, was met with tlu-re also. \ smooth, pale brown porphyritic bullet, of the largest size of those used near * Wauk-to full cloth. — Jamieson. 42 UPPER COQUETDALE. Newcastle in the game of " Long Bullets," was got in the same neighbourhood. " Fair\--pipes " had been picked out in old ash middens at the " Horse-holes, a recess in the green braes at Milkhope, where half-wild horses might retire to at night for shelter out of the cold winds. There are remains of old erections close by. These miniature pipes are also scattered about the old cottage at old Usway Ford. A fragment of ancient potter}-, without an}' enamel, was picked up on a mole-hill in the Yoke Haugh."5 In the angle formed by the junction of the Yoke burn and Sting burn, at the southern base of Cushat Law, are to be seen a more perfect series of ruined walls, composed of blocks- of porphyry from off the adjoining hills. These are the remains of Memmerkirk, supposed to have been a chapel, erected for the use of the monks' servants when herding their fl'ocks in the distant hill pastures of Kidland. The full length of the rude foundations is 48 feet from east to west, iS/4 feet from north to south, this being roughly divided into three chambers; that on the west measuring 12 feet by 15^ feet, the centre chamber 16 feet by 15^ feet, the eastern 20 feet by iS}4 feet. On the north side of the main building, and extending its full length, are traces of a sort of aisle, having a central width of i^y2 feet. The orientation of the building is inclined rather to the north-east. A circular rampart surrounds it on the north and north-east, while the steep banks of the two streams form a natural protection on the other sides. The Oliverian Survey of Church Livings in 1650 refers to Memmerkirk thus: — "That Memberkirke and Kendland may ffittly be united to the said parish (Alwinton) and that there was formerly paid to the Curate of the said Fish., vizt., ffower pounds thirteene shillings fowrepence to Allenton by the Crowne." The following description of Kidland is found in Bishop Chandler's Notes on the Parish of Alwinton dtra 1736: — "Taking in Kidland Ldshp., wch calls itself extra ^ History Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, Vol. xi., pp. 293-5. KIDLANTX 43- parochl, and touches on ye border, Kidland Ldshp. belongs to Sr. Th. Eggar (Legard) and Shaftoe, Esq., remains of an old Chapel appear among ye mountains called Mimer or Member Kirk. Pt. jo}-ns to M. Cheviot or Cheviot Forest. In K'land Ldshp. 65 Fam. most Presb. live mostly in single houses, called steed houses, inhabited b\- stock masters and herds." At the suppression of monasteries in 1536 the lordship of Kidland appears to have been reserved b\" the royal spoiliator himself, for in a survey of the borders made in 1541 Kidland is described as being the King's inheritance, lately belonging tO' the monks of Xewminster. L}-ing upon an exposed frontier, open to the ravages of the numerous bands of mosstroopers- and broken men more than an\- other district within the Middle Marches, it is not surprising that the wilds of Kidland were considered, even b)- the hard}' borderers, as an unde- sirable residence. We think the following description of Kidland as it was in the i6th centur\-, taken from the Survey of 1 541, so full of interesting detail and so much to the point that we venture to give the entire extract : — And westerwarde from the saide grounde callede "KYDLANn.'" Lyntlandes, theare is great waste grounde callede K)"dlandes, of iiij nu'les or more of breade, & vj mylcs or more of Icnthe, it is the kinges ma^'^s inharytance as of the augmentac'on of his graces crow'e belongynge to the late suppres.sed monas- teryc of Xewmynster, all the said K}'dlande is full of l)'tle hyllcs or mountaynes, and bctwen the saide hilles be dyvers valyes in whiclic discende litle Ryvvelles or brokes of water, spryngynge out of the said hilles and all fallinge into a lytle Rever^ ()\- broke callede K}'dlandc water, w^'' fallethe into the revcr of cokcttc nere to the toune of al}-nntoun, u'in a in\ll of the castrll of har- bottcll. 44 UPPER COQUETDALE. Kydland, good All the hie^hte of whiche hylles be, fore the most grownd cannot he inhabited, p'te suche wete mossye and marrysye earthe, as is aforesaide and in the said valyes there is dyvars p'tes of reasonable goode pasture in som'tyme, all be yt as wee thinke yt cann not be well plenyshede or inhabityde w^ people for these causes hereaft' followynge. The Causes. Fyrst there ys no quantytie of corne grounde I- that ev' was arrable, or that by our estymaco'n, iirovvnd forOTie ^^Y ^^ made to bere corne to serve one ploughe, plowgh, together in one place wythin all the p'cyncte of the said Kydland, nor yet any such great p'celles Want of of medowe or pasture together that were able to foTli'nrhmS'''fy"^e above one household in one place, so hold. that there can not in all Kydland, be founde a place where a towne-shippe, or village mighte be Danger of buylded to have their lyvynge together in one norEn^Hsh^^^^ place eyther by plowinge, or pasture. For as yt seemeth when the said Kydland was lefte Inhabyted there was but one house, or two at the most, in one of the said valleys for the grounde yof wyll se've none otherwyse. And as the countrymen thereaboutes reporte & lyke as yt semeth to be true, such Inhabitac'on was there manteyned when the countrye of Tyvydale, nowe beinge p'cell of Scotland & boundynge endlonge all the northsyde of the said Kidland, was Englyshe. And also the countrye of Ryddes- dale, was at that t}-me kepte in suche order that thinhabytantes thereof dyd not spoyle & steale Riddesdale tungoverned. their neyghbours goodes & cattalles as they now doo, or elles suerly as we thynke yt wylbe very greatt Jeop'dye, for any trewe ma to Inhabyte w'thin the said Kydland. Allthough they hadd newe stone houses buylded in ev'ry hope or vale KIDLAND 45, of the same, oneless there were mo men kepte, & founde in the said stone houses for the ma\-n- ten'nce & defence of the same, then the proffytes of the said grounde of Kydland \v}'ll susteyne, for the said grounde of Kydland lyeth so open on the northe syde toward Scotland, & upon the south west p'te towarde the countrey of R}-ddesdale. And beinge so farre also fro' the strength of the plenyshed ground of England. And ov' that the said valyes or hoopes of Kyd- land lyeth so dystante & devyded by mounteynes one from an other, that suche as Inhabyte in one of those hoopes, valeys, or graynes, can not heare the Fraye outecr}-e, or exclamac'on of suche as dwell in an other hoope or \alle}^ upon the other syde of the said mountayne, nor come or assemble to theyr assystance in tyme of necessytie. Where- fore we can not fynde anye of the neyghboures thereaboutes w}ilinge, cotynnall)- to Inhabyte, or plenyshe wihjn the saide grounde of Kydland, & especially in wynter tyme. Allthoughe they mighte have stone houses buylded thereuppon for their defence, And also have the said grounde ffree wihout paynge any rente for the same. The daungers afore recyted be so great & manyfest. In somer seasons when good peace ys betwene England & Scotland, thinhabitantes of dyv'se townes thereaboutes, repayres up wUi theyr cattail in som'ynge as ys aforesaid, into the hoopes & valleys of the said Kydland and so have used to do of longe tyme. And for the pasture of their cattail, so longe as they would tarye there they payed for a knoweledge, two pens for a house- hold, or a grote at the most, though they had nev' so many cattalles. And }-et the poore men .46 UPPER COQUETDALE. thoLighte their fermes dere enoughe. There was but fewe yeres that they escaped wth out a greatter losse of their goodes & cattalles, by spoyle or thefte of the Scottes, or Ryddesdale men, then would have paide for the pasture of their cattail in a much better grounde, nor that was ov' & besyde the daunger of their lives whereyn they were con- tynually for the defence of their said cattalles so longe as thev abode there. The inhabitants This was the aunswere of the most subsiancyall •of Cockdale 1 t 1 1 • 1 most defensible oi the comon people, Inhabytantes, m the towne- iofthT borders shippe of Cockdale, next adjoyninge to the said Kydland. And yet suerly the people of the said Cockdayle, be best p'pared for defence and most defensyble people of themselfes. And of the truest and best sorte of an}-e that do Inhabyte endlonge, all the frounter or border of the said mj-dle m'ches of England. And as we were there enformed, in tymes paste when the Abbottes of the said late Supp'ssed monast'y of Newemynster, thoughte that the proffytes taken for the pasture of the said Kyd- land, in forme aforesaid was not sufficient in respecte to the valo^ of the same, have sente up their owne cattailles wth their herdes & s'untes in som' tyme to pasture, in the said valleys or hoopes of Kydland, but their damage & losses were so excessyve greatt aswell in the steallinge & spoyle of their cattalles, as in the murderynge and takinge awaie as pryson's of their herdes and s'untes, that allwais they founde the most p'ffyte, to take thaforesaid small agystemente in som' tyme of the towneshippes, Inhabytinge next thereunto, the whiche of late daies dyd not excede the some of xx% or xxvjs, at the most. And the ageste- KIDLAND. 47 mente, is lykewyse paide at this p'sent unto Sj Oswolde Wylstroppe,^ ferm' unto the kings mat'*^ of the demaynes of the said, late supp'ssed monastery of Ne\vem\'nster, as p'ffete app'tenute to the same. And in devysinge howe we mighte Improve or encrease the yerely fermes of the said agestemente, semynge unto us to be very small in respecte of the pasture there taken for the same, We p'ceyved and were credybly enformed, that suche as used the som'ynge in Kydland as is aforesaid, yf they were expelled from the same, mighte have lyke som'ynge pastures in other places upon that border of Scotland, not much farther dystant from their dwellinge houses & at sembable pryses as they nowe paie, so that as farre as we can esteme there can be made, no Improvement or encrease of rentes thereuppon more than nowe }-s raysed upon the same. For when the peace ys good & p'fytely kepte betwene England & Scotland, Then in hope of redresse mo p'sons wyll in som' tyme go up w^h their cattail into the said Kydland, & other suche hyghelandes to pasture, And then suche proffyte & agestement ys taken for the said pasture of Kydland as is aforesaid. And yf yt be warre, or a trcjublous peace, then w\ll no man aventure to Inhabyte or som' there- So that in suche seasons the said Kydland lyethe allwaies utterly voyde & wast, allthough the same be a very greatt and measurable good grounde and a greatt nombcr of hoopes & valleys, that wold geve muche rente for pasture yf they * " '519) Octoljcr. List of ihe towns al which the horsemen and footmen lay upon the frontier : — Francis Wolstrop, at Bicklleston ; Sir Oswald Wolstroi), at Carlington." — Historical MSS. Commission, 1888. Rutland Papers, Vol. i., p. 46. 48 UPPER COQUETDALE. were a peaceable quyet countrye the profT}^tes thereof mighte be taken at all seasons. The names, as well of all the said hoopes, graynes, & The names of valleys, wtliiii the said kydlandes, as of the most mownlayaes yt divided notable mountaynes, & hylles, that do Invyrone Kvdland. ^ devyde the same hereafter do appeare. F)'rst begynninge at Whyte stone hoope, Yokeburne,. lende hoope, the Scopes, Cleburne gares, Chevyott medowes, the roughe clewghe, the harry Cleves, hepden, the trowes, a p't of the East syde of Rowehoope, the wardly burne, the hostelles, the barrows, the murder clewgh, the well clewgh, the white burne shanke, semyshawe medoes, Nettle hoope, the Ellyclewghes, the stryke clewgh, Kyd- land lee, Kydlande deane, the blacke house, the yokeburneuppe, the swan'es bank, the smere, the wylywood, 'liareshawe pettes, great holehoope, mydle holehoope, dryehoope, & mylkehoope. There is nere adjoyninge also unto the said Kydland, an other p'cell of wast ground called . . of the kinges maties Inherytance p'cell of thang- metac'ons of his graces crowne, late belonging tO' the supp'ssed monast'y of Alnewyke, the wch hathe bene and is occupied onely wth lyke agestment in som'er & not otherwyse inhabyted, nor can be for the causes afore rehersed in any otherwyse plenyshed. 7 The head of Also westwarde, endlonge the said border & Riddesdale. frounter towardes Scotland, from the saide grounde 7 " There is another obscure charter of a grant of land near Coquet to Alnwick Abbey of nearly the same date as that of Newminster. The land is called ' Stockerclock.' The deed has been written by some one who could not pronounce cleu^li. It looks very much as if it were part of Carshope and a portion of Byegate Hall. The extent was i,ooo acres. The whole deed is full of archaisms in spelling and forgotten names." — Letter from the late Dr. Hardy to Mr. A. R. Blythe. KIDLANI). 49 of Kydlande, b\- west the l)'nne brygges, thwarte over cokett, & so to the head of Ryddesdale and styll endlonge the said uttermost marche & border of England, there ys a greatt quantety of wast groundes of semblable nature, as ys afore declared in the best valleys, graynes, & hoopes, whereof upon the southe syde of the riv' of Cockett, the Ryddesdale men do sheall & pasture wth their cattales in som', and lykevvyse there ys an other greatt quantitye of semblable waste grounde lyinge upon the southe & west p'te of Ryddesdale, towarde the head of T}'ndall, in the wch also Ryddesdale men do somer & sheall wih theyr cattales in forme as ys aforesaid." ^ Uninhabitable and remote, as the mountain fastenesses of Kidland were in those rough and troublous times to which the preceding account refers, yet on its northern confines, amid the open moorlands of Windy gyle, justice meetings were by the mutual consent of the Wardens of the Middle Marches from both sides of the border held at regular periods. Here it would be as well to state that, for the better government of the borderland, the district was divided into three divisions, called the East, West, and Middle Marches. The East March began at Berwick bounds, and reached to the Hanging stone on Cheviot. The Middle March from the Hanging stone to Crysshope, or, as it is described in the Survey of 1541, — " Fyrst begynynge at the hangyng stone, whiche The hanging stone ys the very uttermost p'te of the said mydle m'ches The butte towarde the Este, the said border stretcheth & 'i?''^^^'-'" ., . ' Hexpethgate goeth westwardc to the butte rodde, And from ^'^-'i*'- The Windy thence to hexpethgate head, and so styll west to gole. the wyndy gole. And from thence to the blacke i.rey. ^^^ brcy, And so westwardc somcthinge Inclyninec jb;"'^'cmar's towarde the southe by gugges grave, to hynde- " Wodg^ori ^ Norlhttnil)cr/a!t<{, Part iii., \'ol. ii. , pp. 222-6. 50 ri'ri:R ccji^uetdale. B'rosvne mars feldc, and from thence to browne hartelev^, hiirteley. Kenilespeih. & SO to kemlespetli. jjocles. '"""^^^ I'^-om kemlespeth to the Ahinondes rodes, and Siietehope. SO to the head of Spetehope, & from thence to Ramshopp'^''^ Philipcs crosse, & so to Rampshepphead, and by IL^^*^^^- , the blacke rodes, to the head of the water of Rede, The water ol ' Rede head. And from tlie head of the water of Rede, the said uttermost border & fronter stretcheth styll west- ChiUope rake. Kohbes cross, warde and t\v\-ninge somethinge upon the southe, The Grene /mi i i t-> i i i nedie. to Chytloppe rake, and so to Robbes crosse, and The Bells. ^j^^ orene nedle, & so by archer Cleughe hedd, Black hope •^ ' -^ fc> ' Tiead. to the bslles, and there tvvartynge ov' the water of The Roweniiif^ byrke. ' northe tyne, to black hope head, & from thence to Crvssopp bi-igV. ^^^^ rowenynge b\'rke, and so by Twedden hede to Crysshophead & to Cryssoppebrygge."9 The West March began at Cryssopp and extended west- ward. Over each ch\ision there was appointed a Lord Warden and a Deputy Warden, Axhilst over the whole a Warden General had control. Upper Coquetdale was included within the Middle Marches, Harbottle Castle being the Wardens' residence, where a garrison was generally kept. Hexpethgate- head on Windy G}'le, and Gamelspath at the head of Coquet, were the usual places at which the Wardens of the Middle Marches held their meetings, when, during the time the truce lasted, prisoners were exchanged or tried and sentenced, and those who had sustained losses at the hands of border thieves laid in their claims for damages. It was at one of these border meetings held on Windv G\'le, that Lord Francis Russell, an English nobleman of great promise, was killed by the Scots. A meeting of the Scotch and English Wardens of the Middle Marches was arranged to be held at Hexpethgatehead, in Kidland. Therefore, on the morning of the 27th of July, 1585, Sir John Forster, the linglish Warden, accompanied by a retinue of Northumbrian borderers, amongst Avhom were 5 WoAgsovi's N'orthicniherlajid, Part iii., \'^o!. ii., p. 208. KIDLAM). 51 *' Willm FenA\ycke (WalHngton) — Richard Fynwyck (Stan- ton) — John Horsley (Screnwood) — Thomas Selb}'e fBiddles- ton) — Edmond Crastir — John Thorntoun (Netherwitton), Robert Lysley — Thomas Woddringtone, — Milys (?) Forster — Ro. Claveringe (Callaly) — Robert Mydd\'lton — Perce\a]I Clennell (Clennell) — Andro Pringelle, — George Pryngle — John Heron (Chipchase), James Ogle (Causey Park) — John Heron — I-'"ra RadcHffe (Cartington) — Luke Ogle (Eglingham), Thomas Procter^ John Carnaby — Rawff Collynwood (Bewick) — Henr\- Collingwood (Ryle) — F!d\vard Gra}' — Robt- Awder (Prendwick) — John Collingwood (Titlington), John Colling- woode the \-ounger — Percewell Red (Troughend), Thomasse CoUingingwood (Eslington), Robert Leaylle (Felton), Edward 'Shaftowe (Bavington), John Halle (Otterburn),"io proceeded to the place of rendezvous; i)r()babl\- taking the route over the hills b)' Clennell Street, an ancient road that leads through Kidland by Yearnspath Law and Windy Gyle into Scot- land. On arrixing near the spot Sir John I'orster sent to the Scottish warden for the custoniar}- assurance of peace, after which it is said the Scots made a sudden attack upon the English, and in the fra\- Lord P'^rancis Russell was slain. "The spot where he fell is on the ridge of the mountain called the Windy-gyle, on the confines between the lordship of Kirlland and Scotlanrl, near the eastern extremity of the Middle Marches; and is still i)ointed out by a cairn, called to this day ' Rus.sell's Cairn.'"" The first article of entpn'ry into this affair by the Lorrl Warden as given below ma\- be . 290. 52 UPPER COC^UETDALE. opposite warden, and staying there a certaine space sent certainc gentlemen to the opposite warden to Hexpethgate- head to make assurance according to the ancient use custome, wL-h being graunted on both sides, and thereupon proclamacion made that none should breake the said assurance untill the next day in the morning, neyther in word nor dede, nor countenance, upon paine of death. The said Warden came forwarde thinkynge to find the ^varden of Scotland accom- panyed after his accustomed manner, wch they found contrary to the greate mistakeinge of the said warden of England, and all the gentlemen his companye, the ground so servinge that they could not discover the other ptye till they were at the joyneinge together, so that there was no remedie, the forces of Scotland being so greate, but stand to their former assurance, where the said opposite warden was standinge ranged in order of battell w'th ensigne pensell fyfe and drumes, otherwise then ordinarye custome hath bene at any day of Marche in tyme of peace betwene those two realmes, as in their procedings did playnly appere. " This is not accident or sodaine as ordinarilye hath bene, and yet hath been stayed by warden or comrs. If it had bene an accident or sodaine breakeinge by rascalls as there was no such matter. The gentlemen of Scotland, w^h their drumes, fife, shot, and such as carryed the ensigne & pensells, would have tarryed with the warden, so that it appeared plainely that it was a pretended matter before hand, for the wardens sittinge quietly, calling their bills, the warden of England, thinkinge no harme, the partye of Scotland seeing the tyme serve for their former devise sodainely brake striking up a larome wth sounds of drumes & fife w^h ensigne displayed pensell, and shot & gave then chardge upon us, in which chardge the lord Russell was cruelly slaine wth a shot, and so divers gentlemen of Scotland, ^\■lh their footmen and horsemen and their whole force followed, and maintayned the chardge fower miles wtn the realme of England, and toke sondry prisoners and horses, KIDLAND. 53 and carr\-ed them into Scotland, \\c^i they den)- to redehver againc. The Hke breach of assurance was never sene, so that it is manifest that it is a phiine set downe matter before. When all this was done, and the fields disordered, and the gentleman was slaine, and all past remedye, the warden of Scotland made proclamacion for the defence of the former de\-ise, when there \\as but a small company of gentlemen eyther of England or Scotland left to heare it, wch was to a small purpose. " II. October^ 1585- The names of those that are chardged to be iruilt\' of the lord Russell's death — S^' Thomas Carre of Farniherst, Knight, Wm. Carre of Angerem, James Carre of Lintolee, Robert Carre, brother to the said Wm. Carre, ..» Andrew Carre, lor. of Grenhead, John Rudderford of Hunthill, Da\id Moscroppe, deputy Provost of Jedworth, .... Kirton, wardens' sergeant, James Carre." ^^ For a long period the lordship of Kiclland remained in this unsettled condition, dangerous alike to the safety of men and cattle, subject at any time to the raids of the Scots, who, crossing the Borders, were at once in Kidland, generally striking one of its many hopes, which they followed down to the main valley of the Coquet, as the bard of Ettrick, with all the license of a poet, sings to us : — "Tarn Ker rodo ocr by the Maiden Crags, And down the Osway Burn rode he, Wi*h fifty warriors in his train, A Ijrave and goodly sight to see. Their armour was light, hut their brands were bright, And their bonnets were steel across the crown; And whenever they spied an Englishman, They gallo]3'd at him, and put him down. Ride light, ride light, my kinsmen true. Till aincc the daylight close her ee; If we can pass the Biddleston Tower, A harried warden there shall be!" '- Aicluioloi^ia A-'.liaua (old scries, 1831), Vol. ii., p. 292. 54 UrPKR COQUKTnAT.E. Or as the more prosaic pages of the State Papers inform us, how on the 23rd of July, 1522, Phihp Dacre writes from Harbottle Castle, to his brother. Lord Dacre, telling him that the Scots had made an inroad into Harbottle and carried of a cart horse and " twoo nags from the Peals, and half-a-score of Nolt." Again, on the 7th of August, we read that " twenty Scots pricket at the horse at Ahvinton and were attacked by fourteen Englishmen at Singundside swire, two of the Douglass's were slain and one taken but all the Englishmen were saved." This lively state of affairs con- tinued, not only in the upper reaches of the Coquet, but all along the border line, until the union of the two kingdoms, ^\'hen the character of border warfare changed entirely, and that which had formerly been somewhat encouraged by statesmen of both nations, was, after the union of 1602, looked upon as a crime. The borderer's occupation wa.s- gone, and for his petty thieving he was treated as a common felon, which the following extracts, from the " Calendars of prisoners confined in the High Castle, in Xewcastle-upon- Tyne, at the Assizes for Northumberland in the years 1628 and 1 629," 13 will show: — 1629. " John Brewis Scottishman for the stealeing of xxviij weather sheepe, the goodes of S"" John Selby Knight." ..." who made an escape before the last Assizes forth of the same gaole with Irons on his legges." .... 1629. " John Trumble of Yardopp, for suspec'cn of the felonious stealeing of a brown bay mare the goodes of Lancelot Ogle of Darris Hall Gent." 1629. " Edward Trumble sonne of John Trumble of Wilkwood charged wth the felonious stealeing of one bay mare the goodes of Lancelot Ogle of Darras hall Gent." .... '3 ArchcTologia ^iiliami. (old series, 1831), \'ol. i., p. 149. KIDLAXI). 55 Wishful, as a true Northumbrian, to justif\- in some measure the plundering" propensities and lawless deeds of our border ancestors, we quote an extract in w hich the w riter, in the same spirit says : — " We should be guilt)' of a great injustice, how- ever, were we to confound these antient riexings and forrays with the idea of a common felon}'. They were undertaken by ■whole bodies of the inhabitants, and were rather a series of retaliatory inroads originated b\' national animcjsities fomented by personal loss, revenged with the utmost determination, and looked upon b\' both parties as a positive and public duty, rather than that they were incited b}' the mere desire of rapine and plunder. These inroads, or the most of them, whether undertaken by Scots or English, were in fact nothing more or • less than miniature wars, or in other words, a perpetual running accompaniment (if we may be permitted on such a subject to u.se musical phrases) to the grand crashes every now and then perpetrated by armaments led by kings instead of clans led by chiefs — their object being the same — the resentment of injuries real or imaginary. We have, therefore, in our own mind, entirely relieved our ancestry from the imputation of a merely thievish disposition, and to rejoice that while an ever-to-be- blessed change has come over the manners of their descend- ants, it has not diminished one whit their wonted independence, openness of heart, high artistic and imaginati\e intellect, and unbounded hospitalit}-."'-* Towards the latter part of the sexcnteenth centur}', better and more prosperous times appear to have dawned upon the borderlanrl, due no doubt to tlu^ hHi)py union of the thistle and the r(jsc ; for we learn from the " Rentals and Rates f(jr Northumberland," 1663, that '' Kecdnall I'pp or Kidland Extra Parochial" — a district of some 17,000 statute acres in extent, had a rental of X350, where at one time the tenants sat rent free, (jr at the nominal rent f)f 20s. in 1541 ; in 1631 it let for £s^ J" 1^63 ;^350, in 1731 ;^400, in '* Losses in the Middle Marches, I'rcface. 5 6 UPPER COQUETDALE. 1800 ;^3,ooo, while in the present day the rateable value is ;^2,384. The population in 1801 amounted to 60, in 181 1 to 54, in 1 82 1 to 62 persons, in 1891 to 79, and in 1901 to 77. The general aspect of Kidland has undergone little change since the days when it was in the possession of the monks of New- minster, except for the frequent wire fence that crosses one's path, or the blue slate roofs of the shepherds' houses perched upon the hill tops ; and the recently-erected mansion, the summer residence of Capt. Leyland, standing on the heights of Kidland-lee, 1,261 feet above sea-level, said to be the highest mansion in the land, with its carriage road winding up the steeps where never a road there was before. With these excep- tions — the rounded summits of the hills, the deep narrow valleys, the rippling streamlets, the waving bracken are much the same ; while the cloud-shadows chase over hill and fell, the mists roll along the hollows, or cling to the mountain tops, exactly as when the Border pricker raided its hopes and harried its steadings, or when the gentlemen of Northumber- land, with their sturdy retainers, rode along Clennell Street to the Warden's meeting at Windy Gyle on a truce day. The hills of Kidland are steep and massive, and of a considerable height, none of them being under 1,500 feet. The three highest are— Windy Gyle (1,963), Bloody-bush Edge (2,001) and Cushat Law — the Coiisthotelau of the Newminster Cartulary — (2,020). On the southern slope of this hill is a spot known as " Sting Cross," where, on a ridge between Cushat Law and Hogdon Law, stood one of the stone crosses mentioned by Hodgson, ^s which, he states, was on the track- way leading from Alwinton to Ingram in Breamish water. May this not have been one of the boundary crosses of the Newminster lands, as its site is on the boundary line or Kidland? 16 Hodgson held that these crosses were erected '5 Hodgson's Northtimberland, Part ii., Vol. i., p. 151 n. '^ Sting — a post, a pole. — Heslop. Stang — a cowl staff. — Bailey. A rood of land, — Wright. Stengle — to enclose, Shetl. — Jamieson. KIDLAND. 57 as a guide to travellers in traversing these wild uplands. From the summit of Cushat Law — truly named the "Monarch of Kidland" — a beautiful panoramic view of great extent lies before the tourist who cares to climb the heights o of this lofty member of the Cheviot range. East\\ard are the fields and woodlands of the fertile vale of Whittingham, and the hill-bound valley of the Breamish, the waters of the North Sea glistening afar off in the sunlight, with a vast tract of intervening country stretching along the coast. On the north, Hedgehope and the Great Cheviot blocks the view; but in the north-\\est, far awa\' beyond Windy Gyle, the higher hills of Scotland and the three Eildons can be discerned; on the ^^•est are seen the high grounds around the head waters of the Rede and North and South T\-ne, with the peaks of the Cumbrian mountains and the miglit)' form of Skiddaw looming in the distance. It \\"as on the slopes of Cushat Law that 3,000 Scots, led b\' the Kcrs of Cessford, foregathered in the autumn of 1532, when a picked band of 200 men rode down the Breamish and " took up " the towns of Ingram, Reveley, Brandon, and Fawdon ; whilst another band of 200 making their way dow n the .\ln, harried Great Ryle and Trend wick. It is worthy of remark that while the shepherds' dwelling houses up Coquetwater are all built in the bottom of the \alley on the banks of liie Coquet, those of Kidland stand on the heights. In the earlier days of its occupation by the monks of Newminster, the shepherds' •* shealings " were erected along the burn sides, as we can gatiier from the description already given of Kidland in the days of Henry VIII., when the outcry or alarm (jf those living in one " valye or hoope " could not be heard in- tho.se living in the next, owing to the high hills l\'ing between them. The present day dwellings of Milkhopc. Kidlandlec, Heigh, Uswayford, and Wlmlchope all stand at an elevation from 1,000 to 1,300 feet ab(jve the .sea level. Whitcburn Shank. Trows, and Rowhopc evidently occupy 5^ UPPER COQUETDALK. their original low-level sites — Trows on the Trows burn Rowhope on Rowhope burn, and Whiteburn Shank on the White burn. Even as late as the beginning of the last century the whole of the inhabited houses in Kidland appear to have stood in the valleys, for we are told : — " The inhabitants of this district retained many of the peculiar customs and manners of the borderers longer, perhaps, than those of any other part of the county. Their houses are always built in a low glen, by the side of a rivulet, and are formed of whinstone, daubed with mud, mixed perhaps with a small proportion of lime. The farmers usually pay their rents yearly, on St. Andrew's day, at Newcastle, when they generall}- pro\ide groceries, which, with a stock of salted beef, whiskey, and a few other necessary articles, serve them until the long and drear\' winter is past, and they seldom visit any other market until the succeeding summer." ^7 '7 Macketizie and Dent (iSii), Vol. ii., p. 4. KIDLAXI). 59 chaptp:r IV. K I D L A \ D — (Con t i n r k u ). The Shepherds of Kidland and Coquetwater — Their IIos]iiialiiy — (Jld Customs — A Northumbrian Crowdy — Winter Provisions — I'eat Stacks — Hay Stacks — Hirsels and Packs — Herdings and (jatherings- -Dogs and Walking Sticks — The Hills in Summer — The Hills in Winter — Snowstorms, 1874- 1886 — Sheep Stells — Summer Mists — Thunderstorms — Water Spates — A Wanderer in the Mist — A Hungry Man — Losing one's "airt" on Cheviot — An Old Veteran's Guide — Edmond Bogg"s Experience — Anglers caught hy the "roll"' on Coquet —Thunderstorm on Cheviot — Adventure of a Naturalist — Botanists in Danger — The Waterspout of July 2, 1S93. THE shephei"d.s who live tlicir li\cs anu)n<4st the remote hills of Upper Coquet and Kidland are a class of fine and intelligent men, trustworth}-, and faithful in the discharge of their duties as guardians of the thousands of sheep they ha\e under their charge. Accustomed to act, on their own responsibilit}', in cases of emergenc\-, owing to their solitar)' calling, they are full of resource, and possess much (jf that sturdy independence of spirit .so characteristic of the borderer. In religion they are Presbyterians, in politics Liberals, and being great readers, are quite able to discuss the topics of the day — more especially political topics — with an\- of their lowland friends. Their wives and daughters — although in all probability never taught the theor\- of domestic economy at sch(X)l — are frugal in the management of tiicir household.s without being niggardly, U)V their kindness and hospitality to -Strangers is proverbial. Advancing with the times, the manners and customs of the hill i)o[nilation have greatly changed during the last quarter of a century. Where once stood tin- Hig Si)in- 6o UPPER COQUETDALE. ning Wheel and the piles of cardings^ of the last generation, there now stands perchance a sewing machine. The Cheese- press and Chesfit^ are scarcely to be met with, for cheese making is nearl}' a thing of the past, and in the corner, instead of the ponderous wooden frame of the ancient "press" with its huge square stone block and screw, one finds a patent roller mangle, the supplanter of the "bittle"3 of byegone days. Since the introduction of tea, coffee, cocoa, and other foreign produce, the dietary of our hill shepherd has — as it has with the whole population — somewhat altered, but the plain barley cake and milk — a treat to the lowlander — still forms part of their fare, whilst it is refreshing to find that the wholesome oatmeal crowdy4 continues to be a standing dish with the shepherds, old and young alike. To our taste there is nothing more delicious than a well-made crowdy and a mug of new milk for supper after a long day's tramp amongst the hills. We say well-made, for the writer during a sojourn at the home of a Kidland shepherd, attempted one evening to make his own cro^^•dy, along with the shepherd lads. It seemed easy enough — a little meal, a pinch of salt, and hot water, well stirred with the "spoon shank" — the result was a lumpy unsuppable mixture of oatmeal and water. Liable any day in winter to be entirely severed from the outer world by a drifting snowstorm, when for weeks every road is blocked, large supplies of the necessaries of life are laid in during the autumn. Every hill steading, of course, has its meadow field, in which as much hay as possible is grown for winter use. In mild seasons the hay is scarcely touched, and the stacks stand over for the next year, but during ' Cardings — wool prepared for spinning. - Chesfit — the vessel in which the curd is placed to be pressed into cheese. — Heslop. "^ Bittle — a wooden beater for beating flax or linen cloth. — Ibid. ■» Crowdy — a Northumberland dish, made by filling a basin with oatmeal, and then pouring in boiling water. A vigorous stirring is required whilst the water is being poured. — Ibid. KIDLAND. 6 1 a severe winter perhaps the whole of the stacks are eaten up in the process of " hayin' the sheep," after which the flocks have to be removed to the low countr}^ where there are both turnips and ha\' to be had for the paying for. The first objects that meet the e)'e on approaching a hill farm is a number of ha}'-stacks and peat-stacks, the latter generally built as near the house as possible. Peat is used as fuel, and the cutting, drying, and leading of the peats, sometimes from a distant bog, is an important part of the summer's work. The peat fire is never allowed to die out ; the live ashes are kept during the night in a peat hole beneath the fire grate. The smell of the " peat-reek " 5 always denotes the nearness of a dwelling — a welcome scent in the nostrils of the weary, hungry traveller in his wanderings up and down those endless hills, for then he is certain of a welcome, and a refreshing cup of tea, or cake and milk, with the " top on." The enormous flocks of sheep committed to the care of the shepherd by the flock-master or hill-farmer are termed " hirsels." The shepherd, however, owns a certain number of .sheep, which constitutes the principal part of his wage, known as " packs." As the whole of the sheep on a " herdin' "^ have to be gone through at least twice a day, which neces- sitates a walk of .several miles over the hills and glens, the shepherds keep a large number of clogs to assist in " looking the sheep." It is quite a common sight for some ten or a dozen barking collies to rush out on the appearance of a stranger near the dwelling. Collie dogs are usually good tempered, and, being well trained by their masters, are seldom known to bite unless it be at night, when it would be very unsafe for a stranger to venture too near. " The shepherds in Kidland," says an old writer, " arc peculiarly attached to their dogs ; and not w ithout reason, for tiie sagacity, activity, and discrimination of these animals are trul)' surprising, and wmild 5 I'cai-rcek — smoke from a peat fire. '' Herdin" — The extent of the .slicpherd"s fjrouml. 62 uppi:r ccx^uetdale. scarcely be creditctl by those who have not had an opportunity of obscrvini^- tlieir actions. On setting out in a morning the cake in his pocket. After a good KIDLAND. 71 supper the shepherd put him on the right path, with another piece of the despised barley cake for his museum. The writer himself once had the curious experience of losing the points of the compass, when on the top of Cheviot with Mr. John Anderson of Milkhope, who knew every foot of it. We had reached the " Pole." Presently a heavy mist rolled over the summit. After resting a while I deliberately started off in a direction that appeared to be due east, but suddenly the voice of the hill veteran stopped me with — " Where are ye gang? " " To the Bizzle ; isn't this the road ?" " No," said he, " that's the varra road we cam'." " But look here at my compass, John." " Het }'e an' yor ■ compasses ; div a' no ken me airts, think ye. The wund was blawin' o' me left cheek when we cam' up, an' its blawin' o' me left cheek still ; come on, a' tell ye this is the road." Mr. Edmond Bogg, in his interesting book, " The Border Country" gives an amusing account of losing his way in crossing the Cheviot Hills: — " P'or the present let us leave the lower vale and hark away to the midst of the dark range of Cheviot Hills — their rugged sides furrowed with numerous streams, and where a traveller may wander for hours and not meet a single human being. There, on the extreme border- land of England, between the trackless wilds of Wingate Eell on the north-east and the wilderness of Thirlmoor on the .south-west, the numerous branches of the Coquet have their birth. The writer has good reasons for remembering his first sight of the Coquet, and to no thirsty traveller could the stream, prattling through dark mountain recesses, have been more welcome. Two (jf us had left Yetholm late one Sunday afternoon, intending to reach Rochester the same evening, which afterwards proved to be an impossible feat. " Passing for .several miles along the side of the Bowmont, w(! turned into the Cheviot range just to the west of Wingate I'"cll. 'i"lu; writer intended following a barel}' perceptible track winding through a depression in the range u{ hills; but, 72 UPPER COQUETDALE. unfortunately, my companion, whose experience of mountain climbing was nil, seemed determined upon following a well- marked sheep track which passed over the brow^ of the highest hill westward. My anticipations were fully realized, for after an hour-and-a-half of struggling up the mountain, and thence o\er its brow, knee-deep in heather, now and again startled by the burr of a brace of black-cocks gluttering away from our feet, the sheep tracks vanished, and the only object in sight, except the tops of other hills, was a large cairn of stones, perhaps marking the boundary of the two kingdoms. It was now about seven o'clock on an August evening, and to add to our discomfort wreaths of mist began to float along the glens and climb up the side of the hills, first hiding the objects and then passing away, giving an awesome and eerie look to" this wild scene. Once I thought I had surely discovered a shepherd in the distance, and after running, stumbling, and shouting for upwards of a mile, found my supposed shepherd to be another cairn. I felt convinced that the object had moved, but the deception was caused by the action of floating mist, whose soft fleecy outlines gradually united with the clouds until the atmosphere became saturated with fine particles of dew. To make matters worse, my companion became thoroughly fatigued, and wanted to sleep on the damp heather. It was now nearly dark, and as we struggled on in the increasing gloom, with our faces to the south, drizzling showers were swept across the hills. Suddenly, in the glen far below, I caught sight of a bright, moving object, and near to loomed the outline of a building. Bidding my friend not to move far away, I quickly descended the steep side of the glen, slipping, sliding, and falling many times ere I reached the bottom. The building proved to be an outlying shelter for shepherds, and was in ruins. But the other object we had seen glistening was the infant Coquet, murmuring and falling down the mountain slopes ; and never was stream more welcome, for by keeping it in sight we knew ere long we should find some habitation. KIDLAND. 73 " On ascending to where I had left my companion, I found he had disappeared. After whistling and calling for nearly half-an-hour I heard a shout from the depths below. He appeared to have found it rather lonesome waiting on the mountain side, and had followed, but in descending struck too far north, and thus had missed me. We now hurried along the mountain slope, keeping the Coquet well in \iew, but little dreaming that both of us were to receive a total immersion in its waters that evening. In the act of crossing a small tribu- tary which came leaping and brawling through the mountains, my foot slipped, and I fell full length into the middle of the stream. I can fully assure my readers I was not long in that position, but I hardly forgave the chuckle which my companion gave at my ducking until he himself landed into a deep cut, half filled with peaty water, which drained a piece of reclaimed moorland adjoining the first house which now hove in sight. Then it was m}' turn for merriment, and we laughed till our sides ached at the whole fun of the thing, and the miserable plight we presented. Here we crossed the Coquet b}' a rude bridge to the house, which stood on the east side. But our rambling on this night was not yet ended, for the good lady of the house flatly refused us admittance, but informed us that we should most likely find accommodation with a family named Cowans, of Windy Haugh. Being fortunate enough to refresh ourselves with a glass of milk, we again started on our journey. The rain had now passed away, and just as we approached our haven of refuge the full moon rose from behind tlic hills, burni.shing the Coquet with rays of silver; peace most pro- found — the only sound which broke the silence w as the gentle ripple of its glittering water at our feet, whil-^l in front the mountains lay desolate and dark in shadow. A dwartcd tret-, contorted and storm-swept, like a solitary sentinel in that otherwise treeless region, stood l)olrlly out in front of the moon, making a striking feature in that halo n\ light for the middle distance in a wildf;rncss of hills. 74 UPPER COQUETDALE. "'Windy Hau<^h ' is a shepherd's house, tenanted by two generations of a family named Cowans, and stands in a plot of meadow in a hollow of circling hills, just by the west bank of the Coquet. A single narrow plank gives means of access from the east. We crossed gingerly enough, not wishing for the doubtful pleasure of another dip. The Cowans had retired to rest, but were not long in responding to our knocking, and after about five minutes' waiting we were ushered into the kitchen ; fresh fuel was heaped on the fire, and a good honest supper soon prepared. After a hearty repast we were shown into the parlour, where a beautifully clean feather bed was in readiness for each of us, \\'hich felt to our wearied and aching limbs a perfect paradise. Next morning we found our clothes thoroughly dr}-, the kind hostess having spread them before the fire overnight ; and now, rested, refreshed, and brushed, with polished boots, we were ready, if occasion required, ' to take a walk,' as Dr. Johnson was wont to say, ' down Fleet Street.' We shall not soon forget the homely kindness shown to us in our wandering at that hospitable cottage, the haven of anglers, nestling among the Cheviot Hills." For a tourist or an angler to be caught in a thunderstorm amongst the hills of Coquet is an experience not readily forgot. The unprotected loneliness of the situation and its surroundings, with the loud deep crash of the thunder, as it reverberates in a thousand echoes from hill to hill, has an awe- inspiring effect on even the stoutest heart. Then comes the spate that quickly fills every little burn and sike ; these rushing madly down to the main stream soon converts it into a foaming flood. This sudden influx of water into the course of the Coquet, causes, in an incredible short space of time, a heavy volume to sweep down the channel in a solid wall, sometimes a foot or a couple of feet in height, or as it is locally termed the water comes down in a " roll." ^^ This takes place so '* Roll, similar to what is termed "Bore" — the head or first flowing of the water. — Wright. KIDLAND. 75 unexpectedl}- that often persons find themselves on the wrong side of the stream without an)- chance whatever of crossing. A Windyhaugh shepherd lad, some years ago, was fishing in the Coquet, just above Barra burn, on the opposite side to Windyhaugh. On hearing a noise he looked up, and saw the water coming down in a " roll." xA-t once he ran to the single plank that there crosses the stream. As he stepped on ths plank the flood had reached it, and by the time he had got to the other side he was in imminent danger of being washed off the slender footway b}- the rush of turbid waters. On another occasion, two anglers from the low-country were fairly entrapped b}' the " roll.' They were fishing above Shillmoor, and although they had heard distant thunder, not a drop of rain had fallen near them, and the Coquet was as clear as crystal, but a strange noise up the vallev attracted their attention. One of them, who was a little higher up the stream, having had some previous experience of the danger, immediately called to his companion to leave the channel, e.xclaiming — "run for }-or life, for the \\ittor's comin' doon!" Hurrymg with all speed to Shillmoor, where their horses were put up, they quickly saddled and bridled, but ere their feet were in the stirrups, they were overtaken by the wall of water, that in a moment transformed the shallow stream into a mountam torrent ; but putting spurs to their horses they breasted the stream, much to the consternation of the good folks of Shillmoor, w ho in \ ain endeavoured to prexent them, and got safely through, the water reaching their saddle flaps. Seeing that the Coquet had to be crossed again, at Linnsheels, a mile further down, there was a race over Quickening Cote to head the flood. However, on reaching Linnsheels, the "roll" had outstripped them, rendering the ford through the Co(]uet impassable. Placed in a fix between the foaming streams of the Coquet on their left, and Ridlees burn on tlieir right, it was decided to tr}- the lesser stream of Kidlecs burn — which was also in flood — by a rock)- and dangerous ford. After much ^6 UPPER COQUETDALE. floundering, and a good wetting, the two adventurers happily arrived safely on the opposite bank, then spurring their horses to the south round the head of Selbv's Lake, East Wilkwood, and the " Swire," they reached the bridge over the Coquet, at Ahvinton. Here they dismounted, and, leading their jaded steeds carefully along the " old " rotten bridge, reached the Vicarage, thence over Parsonside on their homeward way, wet and somewhat exhausted. As the hill population is scant and widely scattered, loss of human life by lightning seldom occurs, but numbers of sheep are frequently found dead after a thunderstorm, having been struck by fire, and many a hill side bears witness to the power and velocity of the electric fluid. A few years ago we saw on the northern slopes of Thirlmoor the spot where a'thunder- bolt had fallen, which had ploughed up the face of the hill in a most remarkable manner. We found a large central chasm in the peaty turf, with a number of radiating grooves or furrows, extending a distance of over thirty yards from the centre. The bolt had evidently exploded on reaching the earth, sending out its fragments with great force on all sides, similar to the bursting of a shell. A friend of the writer was once overtaken by a violent thunderstorm when alone on the heights of Cheviot. Being of a philosophical turn of mind, he quietly descended from the cre.st of the hill, and lying prone amongst the heather for safety, viewed the storm in all its terrific grandeur around and beneath him with no small enjoyment, but at the penalty of being thoroughly soaked by the deluge of rain. This he soon remedied so soon as the storm was over, by stripping off his clothes, sitting patiently half clad until they were somewhat dried in the scalding sunshine. This same gentleman, who was an ardent botanist and entomologist, was once pursuing a very rare moth on the summit of Cheviot, when, paying more attention to the specimen on the wing than to his footsteps, he never knew until he found himself up to the waist in the KIDLAND. TJ middle of a " moss-hag." ^7 Scrambling- out as best he could, his underparts wet, not with pure water, but with a thick muddy coating of a black peat}' substance. As he could not \ery well present himself to civilized society in such a plight, he took off his nether garments, and having washed them in a pool of water, spread them out to dry on a large rock, behind which he sat himself down, never thinking for a moment but that he was perfecth' safe from intrusion on such a lonely spot as the " tap o' Chee\'ut." Presently he heard voices, and on peering cautious!}' round the corner of his rocky shelter, he was much disconcerted at seeing a party of ladies and gentle- men approaching the spot where he la}'. Whether they had observed the " washing " laid out to dry, or had caught sight of the unfortunate naturalist, one cannot sa}- ; but, greatly to his relief, the unwelcome visitors turned aside and disappeared over the brow of the hill. Once we accompanied this dear good man on a botanizing tour around the hills of Cheviot, and intent on finding a rare plant, a specimen of which both of us were eager to possess, we, with all the foolhardiness of botanists, climbed and edged our way along the face of a steep hill-side, alive to nothing but the coveted plant, when, to our dismay, we found wc were on the brink of a declivity some hundreds of feet above the valley. To return was almost impossible; so telling me to " lie close to the hill and mind my feet," after a somewhat perilous few minutes wc gained a place of safety, with a feeling of thankfulness that we had escaped harm, and a resolve to be more careful in our future ramblings after flowers. Of all the records of Cheviot spates, probabl}- the heaviest and most destructive that ever fell in that hilly region took place during a severe thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon, Jul}' 2, 1893, when many acres of Bloodybush Edge was literally scooped out b}' the force of the water. As the '7Moss-IIaj{ — a projecting mass of peal forming an escarpment on a peat moor. These liags form miniature ravines on tlic surface. — Ileslop. 78 UPPKU COQUETDALE. ridges of this high hill forms the watershed of the Breamish on the north-east, Usway burn on the west, and Alwin on the south-east, these three streams were at once gorged with an enormous volume of black peaty water, causing them to over- flow their banks, doing irreparable damage to the meadows and potato garths, and washing away all the foot bridges in their mad descent, more especially in the valley of the Breamish. The Usway came down in a big flood, but scarcely so heavy as the Alwin or the Breamish, while the Coquet above Shillmoor was never moved. The whole course of the Coquet from Alwinton to far below Rothbury — a distance of some twenty-five miles from the scene of the disaster — retained for several weeks traces of this remarkable flood in the form of a black water mark all along its banks. The following extract from the Alnwick Gazette gives an excellent description of this " waterspout": — " A hill in the Cheviot range, about three miles S. by W. from Cheviot Hill, is known by the name of 'Bloody-bush Edge,' and is so marked on the Ordnance map. The name is sugges- ti\-e, and almost certainly points to a sanguinary encounter ha\ing taken place there in those bygone ages which are spoken of \w the locality as ' times of trouble.' Who were the combatants, which side was victorious, and what was the total of the 'butcher's bill' are problems which probably defy all historic research. That it was a combat of exceptional severity, resulting, it may be, in reducing both sides to the condition of the far-famed ' Kilkenny cats,' may possibly be inferred from its having given its name to the hill — the said name being the only remaining relic, as far as I can discover, of a desperately contested battle. A recent visit to the hill, however, suggests the thought that the spirits of the old combatants, not content with the former carnage, fought their battle over again, with all the potent agencies which may be at the command of ' spirits from the vasty deep.' Macbeth's witches could have wrought no more terrible havoc than is now to be seen on this KIDLAND. 79 hill-side. It is literally torn to rags and tatters. For a space of at least 30 acres or 40 acres the upper layer of peat has been ploughed up to the depth of some five feet, and the moor bed beneath laid bare. Enormous masses of this dark peaty soil have been hurled right and left, piled one on the top of the other, and a vast quantity of blocks of earth have been carried hundreds of }'ards down the hill, so as to present the appearance of a broad stream of blocks. As if further to bear out the idea of two contending armies, there are two distinct areas, which I ma\' call ' centres of disturbance,' situated nearly on the line of the meridian, and separated by some fifty yards, in each of which the moor bed has been laid bare ; the blocks of peat (many tons in weight) have, as I said, been tossed about and heaped on the top of each other, and from each centre there has flowed down into the valley a broad stream <>f the torn-up surface of the hill. " The cause of all this devastation was the somewhat rare phenomenon of a waterspout, which fell here about i p.m. on Sunday, July 2, of this \-ear. The hill with the sanguinary name which witnessed this phenomenon lies within the water- shed of the Breamish, which, in its upper reaches among the Cheviots, is a ' brawling torrent,' well known for the suddenness with which its spates descend. But on this occasion it fol- lowed the prevalent fashion of ' record breaking ' by utterly surpassing all its previous known performances. It swe])t away its bridges ; it destroyed long stretches of the road that had been confidently built out of the reach of its waters ; it came down with a suddenness and power for which neither the memor)' of the 'oldest inhabitant' nor the rumour of ]:)ast trariition could find any parallel. The phenomenon had the usual accompaniments of witches' work 'in thunder, lightning, and in rain,' and they were so unstinted thai many of the good folks in the neighbourhood came to the conclusion that Noah's deluge was commencing again, in an hour and a hall it was all over, and the flood passed away as suddenly as it 8o UPPER COCIUETDALE. came. The flood in the Breamish came clown hke a wall, and rose and fell again in the space of an hour and a half, and this would seem to indicate that the fall of the waterspout lasted much more than a few seconds. It is simply appalling to contemplate what would have been the result if the water- spout, instead of falling in the wilds of the Cheviots, had descended upon the hill-side of some thickly populated town."^s ii ^^ ui"", ^^i"»5:;". ''■Y«'('4«'i''';',j;')''i'' '■' -Mill"'"''' ' '8 Waterspout aiid Washout in the Cheviots, by the Rev. Jevon J. Muschamp Perry, Vicar of St. Paul's, Alnwick. KIULAND 8 1 CHAPTER V. K I D L A N D — (C o N T I N u E D ) . I'robable Origin of some Kidland and Coquet Place-Names — An Interesting Study — Loneliness of the Coquet Hills — Strong Attachment of Old Residents to their Hill-Homes^Coal Smoke versus Peat-Reek — Losing the Days of the Week — The Monk at Memmerkirk— " Sir Burn," of Kidland, circa 1747- 1767 — The late John Brown, of Carlcroft, and Sir Walter Scott — Presentation at Philhope (Fulhope) — Rejoicings at Kidland — House-Warming at Carlcroft — A Border Gathering. THE writer of that able article on the " Waterspout," just quoted, remarks upon the probable origin of the name " Bloodybush Edge," which reminds us of several more place-names in Kidland and Upper Coquet full of meaning, as all those old place-names are, for "connected as local etymology is with the rise, progress, and gradual decay of languages, it must surely, on this ground alone, be interesting to every scholar. Besides, it often affords curious and in- structive notices with respect to the colonisation of countries, which are nowhere else to be found — the barrow may be removed — the stone monument may be dashed in pieces by some modern Goth — the entrenchment may be worn out by the plough — but a local name is often nearly as imperishable as the mountain or the river, of which it is the designation." ' In attempting to solve the derivation of any place-name, we are well aware the theorist is beset with many and great difficulties ; but, as a number of standing stones and other natural objects bearing significant names occur throughout this hill-district and give rise to much speculation, wc venture to present to our readers a selection of the more curious and striking amongst them. Several of these we shall not attempt ' Archceologia Ailiana (old series), vol. i., p. 242. 82 UPPER COQUETDALE. to elucidate, whilst in our endeavour to explain others we do not wish to be thought dogmatic. Far up at the head of Carlcroft burn, between Black Braes and Beefstand Hill, a spot is pointed out as "The Deil's Mother's Grave." Further down the burn we find " Gugge's Grave,"2 a rock containing a cave-like recess, which gives the name of " Gugge's Sike" to a small rill, and " Gugge's Hope" to the little valley through which it runs ; both of these may refer to some old-world legend. Then again, a long way up the valley of the Coquet, there is " Deil's Hill," and near the summit of Windy Gyle an upright rock, some three feet in height, bears the name of " Split the Deil." In the neighbour- hood of Coquet Head we have " Foulhope," suggestive of evil, but, more probably, it signifies wet, marshy ground. " The Dodd " is a hill with a round top. Up Fulhope burn there are "Saddler's Knowe" and "Saddler's Slack." We should say " Sadler ; " for during the reign of Elizabeth, Sir Ralph Sadler was warden of these marches. Over in Ridlees Burn district occur "Witch Crag," "Green Gairs," and "Hollow Gairs," referring, no doubt, to the green strips of pasture. West of Tindal Law is " Raker Crag." (" A rake is an outlying feeding ground.) Portions of a hill near to the Trows, known as the " Rasters of Shorthope," are most likely the " Roosters " (wet, boggy places.) Close to Riddleshope is " Woolbist Law " ( Woolati, a place for cattle) ; a little to the east are " Hogg Knowe " and " Gimmer Knowe," which need no explanation. " The Hanging Stone," on the west end of Cheviot, the eastern bounds of the Middle Marshes, projects or "hangs" from the side of the hill. " Skelly's Cairn," in Kidland, commemorates some person now unknown. At Barraburn, the lower ridge of a hill is known as " Kyloe Shin " {Shin, slope of a hill) ;. an old drove road to the Cocklaw crosses over this ridge. , Li " Russell's Cairn," on the summit of Windy Gyle, " Scotsman's Ford," " Drummer's Well," and " Bloodybush ^ Gugge's Grave, mentioned in Survey of 1541. KIDLAXD. 83 Edge," all in the same locality, we may find traces of that murderous onslaught b)' the Scots on a day of truce, held near Windy Gyle, on the 28th July, 1585, when, as already stated. Lord Russell was shot — " Russell's Cairn " marks the place where he fell — and his men were pursued for several miles into English ground. In direct opposition to the Border Laws, the Scot? were fully armed, and had banners flying in order of battle, with fife and drums — equipments not allowed at warden's meetings. " Scotsman's Ford," and the hill. " Bloodybush Edge," are both in the line of retreat. " Lindhope," in Kidland, the burn that runs through this romantic " hope " or valley, is remarkable for the number of its little waterfalls and deep pools or ''linns!' The following tell their own interesting story: — " Deerbush Hill," "Corby Linn," " Brock's Holes " (badger), west of Tindale Law ; " Raven's Cleugh," on the eastern base of Thirl moor; " Brown- hart Law," above Makendon ; and "Swinessank," "Hindside," " Raven's Crag," in Kidland, w ith " Hogden Law " close by. "Cushat Law," the highest hill in Kidland, evidently derives its name from the wild pigeon, the Ring Dove or the Stock Dove, which bears the common name of " Cushat " in the north of England. In the Newniinster Cartulary the name of this hill is rendered Cousthotelau. The New English Dictionary gives the following Anglo-Saxon forms of spell- ing "cushat": — Cusciite, cuscote, cusceote. In the Catliolicon Anglicuin it is given as cowschotc. On comparing the two modes of spelling — Catliolicon A ng'licn m — Cow schotelau (1483;; Newniinster Cartulary — Cousthotelau (1231) — it is evident that one and the same is here intended. The name of " Kidland " itself ma)- refer to those da\'s when the wild deer browsed along its verdant slopes and in its bosky dells ; while another of its place-names, Heigh — locall)- pronounced lliihe — we arc told by Dr. Isaac Taylor, "is a place sur- rounded by a hedge, and appears to have been usually an enclosure for the purposes of the chase." 84 UPPER COQUETDALE. With reference to the names of the streams that wind their way through the deep glens of the Coquet hills, we shall — regardless of those truthful words of Pope, " Fools rush in where angels fear to tread " — append the following notes. MacLauchlan, in his *' Memoirs," when speaking of the Coquet^ says : — " The name of this stream we suppose to be derived from the British Cock — red, in allusion to the colour of the water from the peat out of which most of it is drained." 3 Again, " The root Coc is evidently of Oriental origin ; it enters into the river Cocytus, of Epirus, and was one of the mytho- logical rivers of hell (?), which ran with blood, apparently corresponding with the British Cockett of Northumberland."4 Alwin may be from the British All (white or clear) aon (water) — All-aon (Alwin). 5 Usway is "so-called after King Oswv."^ The name of this stream is rendered as " Oswei- burne " in the Newminster CarUilary, probably the earliest form of its spelling we possess, which rather supports the theory of its royal origin. Allerhope burn takes its name from the alders or allers that grew along its banks. Sting burn has its source near to the site of the Sting or boundary cross of the Newminster lands. Yoke burn — its name might refer to its primaeval oak woods. " Yak " is still occasionally heard in the north as a term for the oak tree. The all-pervading loneliness of the wilds of Upper Coquet has already been alluded to in a previous chapter. P'or the thoughtful tourist, the solitude of those interminable hills is solemnly impressive, and he no doubt will realize the lines : — " No eye to watch, and no tongue to wound us, All earth forgot, and all heaven around us," for as each day the sun rises and sets, the self-same outline of 3 MacLauchlan's Memoir, 1852-8, p. 41. ■• Our British Ancestors, Lysons, p. 289. 5 Words and Places, Dr. Isaac Taylor, p. 143. ^ Hist. B.N.C., vol. xii., p. 44S. KIDLAXD. 85 hills and dells ever meets the eye, with neither sic^ht nor sound to mark the difference in the days of the week — all are alike. With the hill-folks this is as nothing, for : — " The man to solitude accustom'd long, Perceives in everything that lives a tongue." Very much attached are some of the older inhabitants of this remote region to their hill-side dwellings. One of them, when on a visit to some friends at the small village of Harbottle, described it as "a fair country side o' hooses" — so much was she struck at the sight of a collection of dwelling-houses, remarking at the same time — "aa' couldna bide the. reek o' thae toons." Being accustomed to peat as fuel, the fumes of the coal smoke was not pleasant in her nostrils. There is an oft-repeated legend of one of the Xewminster monks, the chaplain at Memmerkirk, in the days when Kidland was in their possession, who kept record of the da\'s of the week by making a bee skep each day ; but one Sunday morning his lay brethren were shocked to find him busily engaged at his daily task, instead of being robed in cassock and surplice ready for mass ; he had either mislaid or miscounted a skep, for instead of having the sixth in hands for Saturday, he was intent at work with the seventh, which meant Sunday. We have our- selves heard of a similar miscalculation having being made by a shepherd's wife living in a lonely house at the foot of the Cheviot Hills. It was winter time, her husband was down in the low countr\' " turnipin' sheep," only herself and children were in the solitary house. For several weeks she had not seen a human being, until one Sunday morning her nearest neigh- bour, who lived a few miles further up the glen, looked in on his way to the " Meetin'," when, to his astonishment, he found the poor woman up to the elbows in the wash tub. She had religiously kept the day before, which was Saturday, by wearing Sunday clothes and reading Sunday books, then the next morning, expecting it was Monday, had commenced to wash ; certainly the good woman was quite excusable, 86 UPPER COQUETUALE. and no Kirk Session could take her to task for breaking the Sabbath. Without the following amusing description of an olden type of Coquetdale sheep farmer, our account of Upper Coquetdale would scarcely be complete : — " Illustrations of the character of ' Sir Burn,' of Kidland, Coquetdale. From Robert White's manuscripts : — Nearly one hundred years ago, James Burn, an extensive stock farmer, lived at Kidland Lee, in Coquetdale. It was customary with him indiscriminately to call both man and woman Sir ; hence among his neighbours he was usually named Sir Burn. He was kind-hearted, liberal to the poor, and fond to an extreme of hearing news. When none save his own family were likely to be present with him during the long winter evenings, he ordered one of his servant girls to go up to an eminence near the house, which commanded an exten- sive view, and endeavour to descry some poor people, for the purpose of giving them an invitation to lodge at Kidland Lee, and tell him all they heard of country affairs. In the winter season during a storm, instead of riding about and seeing his flocks duly attended, he was in the habit of lying in bed. Here he received the various shepherds as they entered the house— listened to every particular about their respective charges — gave them the necessary orders — and then laying hold of a large bottle of whisky, which he always kept within his reach, he bestowed it liberally upon them, telling them ' it wad keep oot the cauld,' and admonishing them to pay strict attention to the various hirsels under their care, " In his preambulations over the country, and amongst his own people, he was, in the latter part of his life, accustomed to ride a white pony, and had a cur dog accompanying him, more remarkable for his noise than any other quality. When he had occasion to pass a flock of sheep, and ran some danger of scaring them by reason of the continued barking of the animal, instead of commanding it to be silent, he resorted to KIDLAND. 87 the more effectual method of pelting it with small stones, a full supply of which, to meet contingencies, he regularly stowed away in his pockets, before mounting on horseback. " Being a married man, his wife brought him three daughters, and from the time of manhood till his death he steadily attained the ascendancy as lord and master over his house- hold. In the time of sheep-shearing he gave employment to a large number of clippers, chiefly his own men, all of whom were supplied with victuals from the farm-house. It was customary then, as now, to have oatmeal porridge for break- fast, and in cooking the same, on account of the abundance of whey which the dairy of a farm produced, that liquid was often employed instead of water. One morning Sir Burn observed this meal for the clippers served up in large wooden dishes, and set out in the open air to cool. The food appeared not to be of so substantial a kind as he wished— in short, he considered it too thin for hard-working men ; and the calves being at hand, waiting to be served, he ordered a female servant to mix a quantity of milk with the porridge and give it to the young animals. Taking the men into the house, much to the chagrin of his wife and daughters, he speedily caused the best food within it to be produced, consisting of excellent cheese, butter, mutton, ham, white cakes, and other delicacies, and told his followers to put aside all bashfulness and eat freely. When they finished he observed, ' Now, lads, ye may thank mc for what ye've got ; siccan cheer wasna intended for you.' "One of his daughters married a Mr. Davidson, of Feather- wood ; Mr. Redhead, of the Windy-haugh, married another ; and the third became the wife of Mr. Horsley, of Alwinton. Some time after marriage, Mrs. Horsley considered herself not over well used by her husband, and they did not agree together. On one occasion, it would appear, lie had struck her. This was not to be patiently endured, and, therefore, she embraced the first opportunity of returning to Kidland Lee, 88 UPPER COQUETDALE. that she might lay a statement of her grievance before her father. While she was telling him he appeared to listen to her with great attention, and then remarked, 'Aye, has the fallow had the impudence to strike my daughter?' 'Indeed has he, father!' continued she. 'Then I'se be upsides wi' him,' said Sir Burn ; 'if he's struck my daughter I shall make him a weel-paid7 wife,' and, accordingly, taking a horse whip, he mounted his white pony and drove Mrs. Horsley, on foot, home to her husband at Alwinton. " Perhaps the most singular of all Sir Burn's proceedings was the way in which he tested what sort of stuff his shepherd lads were made of when they first entered his service. He was partial to strangers, and for the most part made his selec- tion from young men who resided at a good distance from Coquetdale. This was his mode of operation. He behaved kindly to the youth for a few days after entering to Kidland Lee — pointed out to him the boundaries of the different farms — enquired into the good qualities of his dog — and told him if he faithfully discharged his duty as a servant, he, himself, as a master, would endeavour to make him com- fortable. He then watched an opportunity to find some defect in the lad's conduct, and on detection of this, he charged him flatly with it — became to all appearance angry with him— stormed away mightily — and would have seized the young man, and not hesitated even to strike him. If the lad stood to him manfully — gave him word for word — returned his abuse — and when the grappling moment came, seized hold of him also, and either struck him again, or threw him down, all was right ; the quarrel abated, and he was the hand just suited for the place. If, on the contrary, the stripling was bashful — said nothing in reply to the charge — and bore meekly all that was put upon him. Sir Burn, most unfeelingly, couched his dismissal in these words: — ' Gae way, gae "> Meaning well-beaten, or, in other words, he would return the compliment with interest. KIDLAND. 89 way ! If }'e canna take your ain pairt, }-e'll ne'er take mine !' His motive in thus dealing with his new servants was essentially selfish ; his lands lay far and wide among the hills, and he knew that much promptitude and decision were required in keeping the marches clear of the flocks of his neighbours. Hence, a simple lad might be imposed on ; but a bold, resolute youth who would at all times oppose any encroachment, was a better servant inasmuch as he would be more able and ready to defend his master's interest."^ For upwards of forty years — 1 860-1901 — there lived at Carlcroft, on the Coquet, a family named Brown. John Brown and his wife, a w^orthy couple, belonged to the Scotch side of the borders, but in i860 they removed with their family out of Liddesdale and settled in Coquet-water. Air. and Mrs. Brow^n were known and respected by all in Upper Coquet, and both being of an intelligent and observant turn of mind, were well versed in local incident and hill-lore. On the 2 1 St of August, 1897, John Brown died at Carlcroft, in the 75th year of his age, and in 1901 his widow and her family left Carlcroft, and now reside at Chartners, in the parish of Rothbury. John had the distinction of having been, in his early days, personally acquainted with Sir Walter Scott. His father was gardener for several years to Sir Walter at Abbots- ford, and John could relate many interesting stories of that prince of border writers, and, like the Ettrick Shepherd, he frequently spoke of him as " Wattie." Seeing at the present day that every link connected with Sir Walter Scott is care- fully treasured up, we think the following, as showing his kind and genial nature, is worth preserving: — One of old John's earliest recollections was of being knocked over by a pla)'ful rush of the baronet's pet dogs. Sir Walter, gently lifting Johnnie up, laughingly said: "Stand close to the wall the next time, mv little fellow, and then the dogs cannot knock you down." John .said that when Sir Walter was ** Richardson's Borderer's '/'able Book, vol. iii. (Legendary), pji. 257-60. 90 UrPER COQUETDALE. standiiiL^ talking to any one he generally placed the point of his walking-stick upon the foot of his lame leg, therefore this shoe was always worn out long before the other. John Brown was a boy ten years old when Sir Walter Scott died, but he could remember that dark and stormy afternoon (Wednesday, September 26th, 1832) when the funeral procession left Abbotsford for Dryburgh Abbey. Sir Walter's own servants carried his remains to the grave, and John Brown's father was one of those who nightly watched the tomb of his late revered master. This was in the days of " body- snatchers " — Burke and Hare and others of that ilk — when it was customary on both sides of the border to watch a newly- made grave to prevent the removal of the body. Many more of old John's reminiscences of Sir Walter Scott might have been preserved, if Captain Cuttle's maxim, " when found, make a note of," had only been acted upon by those who were fortunate enough to hear them related. With great pleasure we cull a selection of extracts from the newspapers of the day9 to shew that even in this hurry- scurry age the shepherds of Coquet can still enjoy those social meetings of which their fore-elders were so fond, and which tend to encourage friendly intercourse amongst neighbours, break the monotony of their solitary hill-life, and create a good feeling betwixt the shepherd and the flock-master : — Interesting Presentations at Philhope. " A very interesting meeting was held at Philhope on the 24th inst. (November, 1899), when a large number of friends and neighbours gathered to congratulate and do honour to Mr. William Crozier, Philhope, and Mr. Edward Anderson, Wilkwood. These two worthy and much-esteemed old herds have both entered on their 82nd year, and are still herding every day, hale and hearty, with undimmed eye and 5 Having received the cuttings without their headings, we are sorry the names of the newspapers in which they appeared cannot be given. KIDLAND. 91 unabated vigour. The}- were both baptized in the same month in the }'ear 18 18, by the Rev. Thomas Hope, then minister of Birdhopecraig. Mr. Hope was the last minister of the ' Old Kirk ' on the Craig of Birdhope, built in 1720 by the Covenanters, still standing, but now used as a coach-house. Mr. Crozier and Mr. Anderson were born and brought up at Spithopehead and Blackblakehope, Redewater, within two miles of each other, and have been companions all their lives. Both of their mothers were born at Cankercleugh, near Chew Green, or Ad Fines Roman Camp, the last camp on this side of the Border. The\^ have both attended Birdhopecraig Church all their lives, and Mr. Anderson has been an elder in the congregation for 33 years. A beautiful oak easy chair in Morocco leather was presented to each of them, bearing the following inscription : — ' Presented to Mr. , on his 81st birthday, by the congregation of Birdhopecraig and other friends.' The presentation was made by the Rev. T. Newlands, of Birdhopecraig, in an appropriate speech, seconded by Mr. John Ord, of Quickeningcote, and the two old men replied with much feeling. A more interesting sight has not been seen in the district for many a day than ' Auld Willie ' and ' Auld Xed ' sitting side by side talking ' sheep,' while the young folks danced to the strains of Mr. \Vm. Dunn's violin till the moon arose. An excellent tea and supper was provided by Miss Crozier and other lady friends, and the two old herds' birthdays will not soon be forgotten." Rejoicings at Kidland. "In September, 1900, Mr. and Mrs. Lcyland, of llagger- stone Castle, entertained all the people on their Kidland estate t(j a supper and dance, in honour of Mrs. Cholmondeley's marriage, which occurred some time ago. Upwards of forty sat down to an excellent supper, and splendid arrangements were made for the comfort and entertainment (jf the guests. The chairs were ably filled by Messrs. Brown (Heigh), and 92 UPPER COQUETDALE. Rutherford (Kidland) ; and Messrs. Scott and Fortune acted as croupiers. After supper, the wedding cake was handed round, along with a well-filled bumper. Mr. and Mrs. Leyland then made their appearance, and were enthusiastically received. The healths of Mr. and Mrs. Leyland, Mr. and Mrs. Cholmon- deley, Master Christopher Leyland, and Mr. Wm. Forster (agent) were proposed in fitting terms, and cordially responded to by all present. Immediately after, the company adjourned to the ballroom, when dancing was opened to the well-known strains of the 'Keel-Row,' which was carried on with vigour till daylight tipped the mountain tops. During the evening several songs were given, rendering agreeable variety to the proceedings ; and excellent music was supplied by Messrs. Anderson and Wood, Milkhope. The popularity of Mr. and Mrs. Leyland in the district was shown by the large company present on the occasion, and by the great heartiness of the proceedings." A House-Warming in Upper Coquetdale. " On the 28th August, 1901, Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Forster, who with their children had been spending some weeks at Carlcroft, in Upper Coquetdale, gave a house-warming to the shepherds of the district, their friends, and neighbours. About a hundred and twenty availed themselves of Mr. Forster's kindness. On arriving, the visitors partook of tea, and dancing began at eight o'clock to the well-known strains of the ' Keel-Row,' led off by Mrs. Forster and Mr. Oliver, Mr. Forster and Mrs. Oliver. Refreshments were plentifully supplied during the evening, and a sumptuous supper was served at ten o'clock, after which Mr. and Mrs. Forster's healths were proposed by Mr. Oliver and most cordially received. Songs were sung at intervals by Messrs. Beech, Tully, and Walter and John Oliver, and dancing continued with unabated enjoyment until five o'clock next morning, when a baby, in its cradle, was lifted into one of the conveyances, its mother — who lived lower KIDLAND. 93 down the valley — having kindly offered her assistance to Mrs. Forster's maids during the evening, but could not leave her little one behind." A Border Gathering. "Once a year, if weather and circumstances allow, the many friends and well-wishers of the worthy schoolmaster of Windyhaugh, up Coquet, assemble from far and near to assist him by a Concert and Social Gathering at Lounges Knowe. The weather was what any might have prayed for. After such a lot of wind and rain that the poor sheep had never had a decent dry lie for a month, a frost set in, and the morning broke quiet and fine. Many of us had to come a good distance, so acting on the advice of 'Sam Slick' that an early start makes easy stages, we were all soon asliir, and after giving an eye to the stock we took the hill. And what a day it got out. Even those whose landscape is bounded by the Cheviot range and to whom the Border hills are familiar, were bound to confess it was a grand day — dry overhead and under foot ; the air as sweet as a nut, and with frost enough to make the hoggs and ewes go for the rough land and help to get them into fettle for the trying times of April and May. There are those of our readers who, it may be, only get their holiday in the summer's height, but the winter when not too snowy is a real good time for seeing the hills. Do they not owe their present beauty and outlines to the ice and frost of lf)ng ago ; were not their lovely or rugged sides moulded as brae or burn when the winters were worse than they are now ? I>ast Friday showed the Cheviots in glory. On the side where the sun had lifted the rime we had them looking as though they had been bathed in a Jul\' morning mist, and left the grass and heather sparkling with diamonds, while, as we climbed the sides from north or cast the frost and ice pre- sented most lovely appearances, all the more unusual since we have had no hard weather since January, 1895. 94 Ul'PER COQUETDALE. "As the time for the gathering grew near we saw first one, then another, coming down Shilhope's rocky slope, or stepping the shepnerd's footbridges from Rowhope, Bygate, and the Usway. We seldom meet in the winter unless 'Jake' adver- tises the hounds for our ' march,' so we value the Lounges Knowe covert all the more for its object and the chance we get of a good crack. There they were, friends from Kale, or Bowmont and Breamish, hailing kin from Rede and Coquet- dale, a strange group made up of shepherds and hinds, with farmer, gentry, parson, and priest, and several new comers from in-bye to give us a song, while all met to help Mr. A. Blythe to keep up the school which ministers to the needs of such a wild and romantic district. Farther from town or train than probably any day school in the north, the worthy dominie toils here at all seasons (barring holidays in Yetholm), and gives such satisfaction to the inspectors that his children pass over 90 per cent, in the Government examinations. They labour under many difficulties, for when the weather is quiet along the low country, it will almost certainly be a wind or rain and a half a spate up the hills, hindering regular attend- ance and spoiling many bairns, who have six miles each way to tramp or plodge, from regular teaching. Then, of course, the school room must be kept bright and warm in the long winter days, and for these expenses the annual concert is held. For, gentle reader, think how far Mr. Blythe has to send for fuel — thirty-eight miles at least to Elsdon Pit, and then it takes two days' journey for a horse to bring 8 cwt. Much as he and we love the reek from a peat fire, yet the peat cannot be won in this condition, and the supply even on some hill farms is not as good as it was. To help in finding means for fuel and light in this wild outlying spot, beloved of angler or tourist, was this gathering held therefore. Punctual to time the enter- tainment began, for Mr. Jacob Robson is always ' there,' at a hunt, or a breakfast, or a school concert, it's always the same with this honoured master of the Border Foxhounds. KIDLAND. 95 "After the concert we gathered in Lounges Knowe Cottage byre for a cup of tea and a chat. This crack after the enter- tainment is always much reUshed, for then we hear the news from far and near, and from this social board we missed a good few faces. Some are dead, others were at home wondering if the farm would be taken on again, or if the Cheviot wool would go up once more in face of the McKinley tariff, and a few who always tramped miles to this had got hold of some new fangled religious opinions which forbid simple pleasures, but allow money-making with stock. Supper over, we stood about a A\"hile glorying in the bright night, as bright as many a da}', and then we all got back to the school again, where we danced until the Border hounds came along to the Brockholes at eight a.m. and gave us a fine view of a meet attended by only a few riders, but a crowd of foot people who will always turn out for the present master of this wonderful pack. As the morning wore away we parted with a ' piece ' in our maud or pocket, that we might reach home in time to see how things were, and get a good sleep. "We telt all the better for our outing, and it is said by those who know that at B\'rness Church at Oxnam and Hounam Kirk, and at Vetholm and Alwinton, the singing last Sabbath was an improvement on many a service. And reason why? We had stretched our lungs with healthy exercise, and went to our duty with a conscience that we had tried to help a good cause and a schoolmaster who needs encouragement in his lonely task near Coquet Head." 96 UPPER COQUETDALK. CHAPTER VI. THE FAUNA AND FLORA OF KIDLAND AND UPPER COQUETDALE. Herbage of Upper Coquet— Grasses and Sedges— Scarcity of Flowers on Hill-sides — Charming Variety by the Waterfalls along the Burn-sides- Club Mosses- Wild Fruit — Bird Life, from the Mountain Blackbird to the Raven— The Falcon's Eyrie— The Raven's Nest— The Eagle a Frequent Visitor— The Angler and the Herons — Foxes — Weasels and Stoats — Wood Ants and Vellow Ants — Adders not Frequent in Kidland or Upper Coquet, Numerous South of the Coquet, on Barrow, the Wilkwoods, and Dykeham's Edge Grounds— Bird Life and Hill Scenery by the late John Cordeaux — A List of Plants. THE porphyrite hills of Kidland and Upper Coquet " are fine feeding grounds, sound of surface, and clad with verdure." The drier portions of the hills are mostly covered with Annual Meadow-grass and Sheep's Fescue-grass. The former is not only one of the sweetest of grasses, but it is one of the commonest of plants, growing alike in lowland meadow and on mountain top. Then there is the Mat-grass, Ueers- hair, Rose-bent or Stool-bent, and Flying-bent, which also yield an abundance of food to the hill sheep in spring. In the very early months of the year, when the hill sides are bare and barren, the sheep nibble with much relish the sweet, tender shoots of the Hare's-tail Cotton-grass, as it shews itself amid the moisture of the moss-flows and peat-bogs, which, when it flowers further on in the summer, enlivens moorland and fell with its silky tufts waving in the breeze, and although this plant belongs to the sedge tribe, it is known amongst the .shepherds of Cheviot as " moss " or " silky-ling." The hills and fells of Upper Coquet do not yield much to repay the FAUNA AND FLORA. 97 search of the botanist, unless it be a fairly good variet}- of the sedge tribe, which, with the Annual Meadow-grass, sparts, and bents already noted, form the greater part of those upland pastures. On the ridges of the higher hills — and plentiful on the Great Cheviot — are found the common Club-moss {Lycopodiinn clavatuvi) and the Savin-leaved Club-moss {Lyco- podiuni alpi7tuiji) ; the former is the Deer-horn-moss, the latter the Wolf-claw, of the hill shepherds. We ha\e frequentl}- seen the hat of a young Cheviot shepherd neath' decorated with a spray of Deer-horn-moss, gatheied on the hill when going his daily round. Wordsworth, in the following lines, alludes to this as being a custom in the North of England : — " Or with that plant which in our dale We call Stag's horn or Fox's tail, Their rusty hats they trim ; And thus as happy as the day, Those Shepherds wear their time away."' The paucity of the hill-side flora is somewhat compensated for by the charming variety found amongst the bogs and mosses, and along the margins of the sikes and little burns, as they brattle on their way through the deep dells whicli open into the main valley of the Coquet. The lover of wild flowers will there find plants, mosses, and ferns in profusion. Up those picturesque ravines occur mnnberless waterfalls, from ten to fifteen feet high, over which the little streamlets tumble into deep brown pools below ; the rocks on either side, clad in a ;ich velvet-like drapery, formed by mosses of the most lovely hues, with a surrounding growth of purple foxglove and grace- ful lady fern, of crancsbills, vetches, and honeysuckle — over- hung, perhaps, by the birch, the oak, or the alder— which combine to make a picture worthy the pencil of a liirkct-Foster. Amongst other flowers found in those cool sequestered dells are the Burnet Rose, with its pale cream blossoms, the gay St. John's Wort and Golden Rod, saxifrages, pink-flowered sedums, an occasional primrose, and the handsome large- flowered Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), with here and there green 7 98 UPPER COQUETDALE. tufts of spleenworts, and the delicate Cystopteris peeping out of the nooks and crannies in the rocky cliffs overhead. On the green hill slopes the common Bracken, the Male fern, and Mountain Buckler grow in large masses, and in some rocky sweeps of porphritic debris are dense patches of the Mountain Parsley-fern, while many a sunny bank is covered with the sweet-scented Wild Thyme, Eyebright, the ubiquitous Tor- mentil, the yellow Mountain Pansy, and the azure-blue Hairbell. Decking the rocky scars are seen the showy purple spikes of the Flowering Willow, the small but rare Dianthus or Maiden Pink, interspersed with the golden yellow of the lovely Rock Rose. In the meadows, near the shepherds' houses, one is sure to find the Grass of Parnassus, a unique flower frequent in the North of England, but rare in the southern counties ; also the Melancholy Plume-thistle, with its huge hoary leaves, without prickles, and its large handsome purple flowers, one on a stalk. Along with the Ragged Robin, the Spotted Orchis, Common Twayblade, and Moonwort, there is an abundance of the Troilius or Mountain Globe Flower. This flower resembles the Buttercup, but does not open its petals so much. It is the Luckan Gowan of the Scotch. Allan Ramsay, in his "Gentle Shepherd," thus speaks of it : — " We'll pu' the daisies on the green. The Luckan Gowan frae the bog ; Between hands now and then we'll lean, And sport upon the velvet fog." Lofty and exposed as this region is, it is not altogether devoid of wild fruits. There are found the Blaeberry, the Crowberry, the Cranberry, the Red Whortleberry and the Heckberry, the Common Bramble and the Stone Bramble, but the finest fruit of all grows on Cheviot, on Cushat Law, Bloody bush Edge, Windy Gyle, and Thirlmoor ; this is the Mountain Raspberry, or Cloudberry, the Rnbus Chamcsinorus of the botanist, but known to the hill shepherds by its good old Saxon name of FAUNA AND FLORA. 99 " Noop." The plant grows about six inches high, and has in June a single white blosso'-n, slightly tinged with rose. The fruit ripens in August, and is then of a deep orange colour. It is also found on some of the lower hills, but the Avriter has never found it in fruit at an altitude under r,8oo feet. Once, when ranging over the hills of Kidland and Upper Coquet, in company with the late Dr. James Hardy, my note-book on the avi-fauna of the district tells me we saw the Whinchat, Wheatear, Meadow Pipit or Tit Lark in great numbers, the Kestrel, the Sparrow Hawk, the Mountain Blackbird, the Curlew, and the Heron. Following the channels of the burns were the Pied and Grey Wagtail, the Willow Wren, and along with the Sandpiper there was the Waterhen and the Water Ouzel or Dipper — a little reck- less white-throated fellow alwa\'s on the move from stone to ■stone. The Magpie is now a scarce bird up there, and the Jay is altogether unknown. The Peregrine Falcon, which nests every year in the Rizzle— a rock}- ra\-ine on the north ■end of Cheviot — is frequently seen soaring aloft watching for its prey, and a pair of Ravens bring forth their brood each year in Raven's Crag, near Milkhope ; while the Osprey and the Golden Eagle are seen now and again by the shepherds when out (;n the hills. We have just been informed by Mr. Millar, the Biddleston gamekeeper, whose range includes Raven's Crag — it being part of the Biddleston estate — that in the spring of 1901 the Falcon nested in Raven's Crag; but in 1902 the Raven forestalled the Peregrine, and took possession of the nest early in the spring. The two birds have never been known to locate themselves in this range of crags during the same season. Mr. John Anderson, of Rothley West Shield, who had the herding at Milkhope for many years, once wit- nessed a prolonged anrl savage aerial combat between the Raven anrl the I'alcon over the possession <>( this much- •coveted eyrie, on which occasion the Ra\'cn completely lOO UPPER COQUETDALE. vanquished the Falcon. Mr. Millar has also observed' numerous Falcons during- the past summer of 1902 soaring among the hills of Kidland. The following notes on Eagles amongst the Coquet hills have bssn kindly supplied by Mr. Alek. Crammond, of Davyshieldhope, Otterburn, late of the Trows. The shepherd's, house at the Trows stands at the very foot of Windy Gyle,, on the English side of the border. On the 14th of October, 1 881, during a heavy gale of wind,, a small eagle, probably an Ospr«iy, alighted on a manure heap, in front of the house at the Trows, not above a dozen yards, from the door. The bird was of a grey slate colour, and was evidently exhausted by the violence of the storm. After resting a k\v minutes the eagle " sailed away." On another occasion Alek, when out on the hill, saw a large eagle fly away from the carcase of a dead sheep. Again, in 1890, he and his father observed an eagle come out of the " Gyle " burn and soar to the top of Windy Gyle, where it sat until they got close up to the spot. He described the bird as "looking as- big as a collie dog." The eagle was perched on a rock, and several carrion crows that were flying about were much excited, wheeling round the dangerous stranger and making sudden swoops as if to attack him. The eagle, hovvever, took no notice of the Corbies. As recently as xA.pril, 1902, when, Alek was one evening " looking the sheep," he observed what,, he says, " was the largest eagle he had yet seen." The eagle was perched on the summit of the east cairn on Windy Gyle. On approaching nearer, the noble bird soared away towards, the fastnesses of the Great Cheviot. It is quite probable that the eagle has at one time nested amongst these hills ;,. "Ernespeth"^ frequently occurs in \.\\ft Newminster Cartulary as a place-name of the monks' lands in Kidland. " In 1883 a female Osprey was shot b}- George Fife, keeper at Barrow ' Ernespeth — a trace of this name may, perhaps, be found in. " Yarnspath. Law," on the Usway. FAUNA AND FLORA. lOI Scaurs."- An eagle was also seen at Kelso Cleugh — a shep- herd's house at the foot of Windy Gyle, on the Scotch side — in 1888, which caught up a grouse ; but on George Wallace, a shepherd lad from Kelso Cleugh, perceiving this, he ran and waved his plaid, shouting loudly all the while, when the eagle suddenly dropped his prey and flew off. A story is told of one of a party of anglers from Rothbury, when fishing above Windyhaugh, being very much startled by a huge bird sud- denly rising from the bed of the Coquet, close to where he was fishing. Hurrying back to his companions, in a state of great excitement, he enquired " if there were any eagles up Coquet? for he was certain he had seen one." Being " town bred," he had, much to their amusement, mistaken a " Heronseugh " for an Eagle. Foxes, Rabbits, Weasels, and Stoats, are yet fairly numer- ous, with an occasional Badger ;3 while the Polecat, which formerly haunted the natural woods near the Coquet, is now quite extinct. The Otter is seldom seen above Harbottle, but the Mole, the Water Vole, and the Common Shrew frequent the level haughs near the streams. Besides the Common Ant and the Wood Ant {Foniiica rufa), the late Dr. Hardy says : " I formerly recorded the larger Yellow .Ant i^Fonnica iivtbratd) as a Northumbrian species. Its stations were under stones on the Suer Hill, and in Langleyford Vale, also on the Watch Law. More lately my attention has been directed to a large colony formed by this species near the base of the green hill slopes of Kidland, in the form of clusters of jjiled up heaps of fine cla}', crowded over a grassy bank facing to the Aluin river, near the foot of Alrihope Bum, Milkhope. There is a smaller collection of similar hillocks (jii the steep verdant bank below Kidlandlee and in Wliitehunihope." » Hist. B.N.C., vol. ii., p. 129. 3 One was found sleeping at VVhitel)iirnshank (Kidland), and killed liy Miirdic, the shepherd, and his dog ; il was a female, and weighed iglbs. — Ibid. I02 UPPER COQUETDALE. Adders ( Vipera beriis) are not often heard of up Coquet or in Kidland, but among the sandstone crags and heather of the Wilkwoods, Barrow, and Dykeham's Edge,4 these reptiles are so numerous, the shepherds during the early spring hold what they term "etherin' da}s,"5 when, in the bright, warm sunshine of a spring morning, the adders, as they crawl from their hiding places, where they have been hibernating during the winter, are somewhat sluggish, and slow in their move- ments, therefore easily killed b>- the shepherds. One da\-, in the summer of 1902, as Mr William Xichol, of Dykeham's Edge, was engaged in cutting drains on these moors, he killed no less than nine adders, and the next day killed five, ranging in size from about 18 to 20 inches. The largest adder he has met with up there measured 23 inches ; this individual he killed in Ramsay's Wood, on Wilkwood ground. Mr. Edward Anderson, of West W^ilkwood, not long ago, found a large hag- worm {Anguis fragitis) in a boggy part of his ground, near Selby's Lake, which he dul}- despatched, for the shepherds deem it part of their dut}' to clear out ever\-thing in the form of a snake, and good is their reason, for frequently their cows, sheep, and dogs, and even their children, are severely bitten by adders. The Coquet would appear to be the adder's boundar}- line, as the river here flows between the bare green hills of porphyry that lie to the north, where adders are seldom found, and the rough heather-clad hills of sandstone lying on the south, where they are swarming. Then again in the valley of the Breamish, which lies on the extreme north of Kidland — a distance of about eight miles, the adder re-appears ; Linhope Burn, a tributary of the Breamish, and Linhope Linns, are infested with vipers. This local immunity from reptiles is rather ■» Dykeham's Edge — the hill-folk have a tradition that Dykeham was a border robber ; a secluded spot in the locality is known as Dykeham's Dell. Edge — a ridge. — Heslop. 5 Etherin' days— days set apart for killing adders. " Ether'' is the common name for adder in Northumberland. FAUNA AND FLORA. lOJ difficult of explanation. It ma\- arise from the absence of heather, and the sheltering recesses found in the sandstone rocks, so suitable to the reptiles for the purposes of hiberna- tion in winter and the bringing forth of their young in summer; or it may perhaps be the scarcity of food in the district. Adders feed upon frogs, mice, moles, water-voles, and young rats, ant eggs, small birds and their eggs, lizards, and slow- worms. Small birds are not plentiful in the hill district, and moles and water-voles are found only along the banks of the streams, while the lizard-tribe, that is, the sand-lizard (Lacerta agilis), the water-newt (Lacerta aquatica), and the slow- worm or hag-worm — the favourite food of the adder, is rarely met with. The sand-lizard is occasionally seen in the upland meadows, as at Carlcroft and \Vind}^haugh on Coquet. Mr. D. Graham, at Fairhaugh, on the Uswa)-, has observed the sand-lizard in the meadow there, as well as the water-newt in a pool near the house ; both of these little harmless creatures are known by the name of " ask." On the question of adders in Kidland, Mr. John Anderson, of Rothley West Shield, writes thus: — "As regards adders and hag-worms in Kidland, I may tell you I lived sixty years of my life there, and only knew of two adders and two hag- worms ever having been seen in all that time." Mr. Wm. McLean, of Kidlandlee, another old resident, also says : — " I have seen very few adders on the Kidland hills ; during the time I lived at Rowhope I just remember of one being killed at Bygate Hall ford, and another above the Trows going up to the Windy Gyle. Our gamekeeper says he killed one on Cock Law, and another near to Davidson's Linn, on the Usway, above Usway Ford, not long ago, but we have never seen a hag-worm." Mr. Wm. McLean, junior, also informs us that he herded on Kidlandlee for fourteen years, and never saw an adder. A few are found on Ridlees, Linnsheels, and Quickening Cote — hill farms south of the Coquet, clo.sely adjoining the I04 UPPER COQUETDALE. \\'ill< woods and Dykeham's Edge, where, as we have already stated, adders are found in such great numbers. Near a small rill that crosses the road between Linnsheels and Alwinton, known as " The Apostles' Sike," two adders were killed in the month of April, 1901, by Mr. Mark Ions and Mr. William Nichol, both of which measured about 20 inches. These two full-grown adders were no doubt mates, for in early spring, so far as our experience goes, adders are mostly found in pairs. The Coquet Head shepherds all tell the same tale of no adders being seen or heard of in their locality. The writer himself may add that, in his many rambles up Coquet and its tributaries, he never met with a reptile of any description. Other details respecting the habits of adders and ring snakes, which are frequently mistaken for adders, is given under the head of "Adder Stories" in a subsequent chapter. As a further description of the fauna and avi-fauna of this hill country, we will quote the words of the late John Cordeaux, an accomplished ornithologist, who says : — " During the heat of the day all the bird life of the district appears to collect near the burns. Wild duck and teal rise from the quiet pools ; the blackgame startle us as they spring from the bracken on the brae. One hot day in July we noted no less than seventeen species in a distance of three miles up the Eelrig — a lonely burn leading into the Coquet above Blind Burn; these were the heron, lapwing, wheatear, whinchat, grey wagtail, dipper, common sandpiper, kestrel, merlin, sparrow hawk, curlew, mountain linnet, ring ousel, meadow pipit, wren, sandmartin, and carrion crow — all more or less characteristic birds of the hill country." " The peregrine falcon, locally distinguished from any other as the ' hunting hawk,' is becoming very scarce. Mr. John Anderson, the shepherd at Milkhope, told us he had seen the ' hunting hawk ' beating up the Alwine one day in the first week in August this summer (1885). When he first came to Milkhope, thirty-four years ago, a pair of peregrines came every spring FAUNA AND FLORA. 105 and tried to establish an eyrie in the White Raven's Crag, north of Puncherton Hill, but they were invariably driven away by the ravens. On one occasion, when crossing the hill near his house, he was attracted by the alarm cries of the curlew. A peregrine, in hot pursuit, came down like a bolt on the whaup's back. Both birds, clinging together, made several complete somersaults before reaching the ' haugh.' He ran down the hill and drove the falcon from his quarry, the curlew being quite dead, with a great rip down its back." Mr. Cordeaux excels in word painting. This is our excuse for giving in full his most delightful description of the hill scenery of Upper Coquet at sunset : — " It is pleasant," says Mr. Cordeaux, "after hours in the sun, to walk home b\- hill paths, and to feel the big cool splashes of rain on face and hands, and scent the sweet smell of the hills drawn out by the falling shower, wading through acres of fern on slopes where wild thyme and yellow pansy peep through the short sweet herbage ; but pleasanter far to drive back when the shadows of the giant fells are lengthening from the west, and, like the index to a dial, slowly blotting out sunshine on the further slope, and stealing the golden rii)ple from the bracken. We follow the river course, now dead on turf, then rattling over broken whinstone ; past level reaches where the cloudscape is reversed, now dashing the water aside as we plunge through a ford ; first on one bank and then on the other, skirting rock- girc pools, where the grey heron rises like a wraith, or the querulous lapwings are coursing over the shingle, watching the flight of sandpiper and dipper, or listening to the whccplc of the whaup, far away amongst the silent mist-clad hills. Then, as wc cross the Coquet by the new bridge, and rise the steep bank, we turn for a final look at 'Cheviot's inouiilains lone,' c;n which the night is now fast settling down. The white mists cling close to .Alw iiiton haughs, but, l)c)'ond this sea of motionless vapour, the distant uplands, with the great gap towards Linnshicls, rests like puiplc shadows against a I06 UPPER COQUETDALE. background of saffron, graduating abovj into the rosy flush of the afterglow. "Two hours later, as we stand at the door of our temporary home, there is a feeling of frost in the air, and the stars glitter with winter sharpness ; the moon is rising over Harbottle Crags, casting strong lights and shadows, and fashioning the serrated ridge into the likeness of a mighty fortress ; the last loiterer in the village has turned in ; we listen to the distant barking of a collie, the cry of some night bird, and the cease- less rush of Coquet round the Dexil's Elbow below the Castle Rock ; but the air is chill, and we turn indoors again to the snug well-lit parlour for a final pipe and a crack ; there is much grouse talk and much fish talk, and then, as old Pepys has it, ' well contente to our bed.' "^ Plants found in Upper Coquet and Kidland. The list given below does not profess to be complete, or to consist of rare plants, but it will in some measure illustrate the typical flora of the district. The greater portion have been noted by the writer in his rambles throught this most in- teresting tract of the borderland, while a few are taken from Baker and Tate's Flora of Northumberland and Durham. Anemone nemorosa. Wood Anemone. Ranunculus hederaceus. Ivy-leaved Crowfoot. Caltha palustris. Marsh Marigold. Trollius Eurojireus. Mountain Globe Flower. Corydalis claviculata. White Climbing Corydalis. Cochlearia officinalis. Common Scurvy-grass. Draba verna. Whitlow-grass. Cardamine amara. Large-flowered Bitter Cress. Arabis thaliana. Rock Cre.ss. hirsuta. Hairy Rock Cress. Sisymbrium thalianum. Wall Cress. Helianthemum vulgare. Common Rock Rose. \'iola palustris. Marsh Violet. lutea. Yellow Mountain Violet. * Field, October 17th, 1885. FAUNA AND FLORA. 107 Plants i-oixn in Uiter Coc^ Parnassia palustiis. Drosera rotiindifolia. Polygala vulgaris. Dianthus delloides. Lychnis flos-cuculi. diuina. Sagina procumbens. Stellaria uliginosa. Hypericum quadranguluni. pulclirum hirsutum. Geranium sylvaticum. Kobertianum. lucidum. Oxalis acetosella. Trifolium medium. Anthyllis vulneraria. Astragalus glycyphyllus. Vicia sylvatica. Orobus tuberosus. Prunus spinusa. pad us. Rubus chamiiemorus. saxatilis. Idreus. Rosa spinosissima. Pyrus aucuparia. Epilobium augustifolium. alsinifolium. Circsea lutetiana. Sedum villosum. Saxifraga stellaris. granulata. Chrysospleniuni oppositifolium. alternifolium. Hedera helix. Adoxa moschalellina. Conium maculatum. Pimpinella saxifraga. Angelica sylvestris. Daucus carota. Lonicera periclymcnum. UET AND KiDi.ASU—fContmrtcdJ. Grass of Parnassus. Round-leaved Sundew. Commnn Milkwort. Maiden Pink. Ragged Robin. Red Campion. Procumbent Pearlwort. Bog Stitchwort. Square-stalked St. John's Wort. Small Upright St. John's Wort. Hairy St. John's Wort. Wood Cranes's-bill. Herb Robert. Shining Crane's-bilJ. Common Wood-sorrel. Zig-zag Clover. Kidney \'etch. Sweet Milk \'etch. Wood \'etch. Tuberous Bitter \'elch. Sloe or Blackthorn. Bird Cherry ( Heckben y ). Cloudberry ( Noop). Stone Bramble. Connn(jn Raspberry. Burnet-leaved Rose. Mountain Ash. Flowering Willow. Chickweed-leaved Willow Herb. Fnchanter's Nightshade. Hairy Stonecrop. Starry Saxifrage. While Meadow Saxifrage. Common Golden Saxifrage. AUernate-Iea\ed Golden .Saxifrage. Common Ivy. Connnon Moschatell. Connnon Hemlock. C'omiiion liuriiet Saxifrage. Wild Angelica. Wild Carrol. I loneysuckle. io8 UPPER COQUETDALE. Plants found in Ui'I'er Galium saxatile. cruciatum. verum. palustre. sylvestre. Asperula odorata. Valeriana officinalis. dioica. Hieracium murorum. I>eontodon taraxacum. Lapsana communis. Cnicus lanceolatus. arvensis. heterophyllus. Centaurea nigra. Artemisia vulgaris. Antennaria dioica. Solidago virgaurea. Senecio sylvaticus. Achillea millefolium. Campanula rotundifolia. Vaccinium Myrtillus. Vitis IdiTea. Erica tetralix. cinerea. Calluna vulgaris. Gentiana campestris. Polemonium coeruleum. Myosotis sylvatica. arvensis. versicolor. Melampyrum pratense. Digitalis purpurea. (var.) alba. Scrophularia nodosa. Pedicularis palustris. sylvatica. Rhinanthus crista-galli. Origanum vulgare. Ajuga reptans. Teucrium scorodonia. Pinguicula vulgaris. Coquet and K\l^\.\•SD—( Contimted). Heath Red-straw. Cross-wort. Yellow Bed-straw. Water Bed-straw. Sweet Woodruff. Great Wild Valerian. Small Marsh Valerian. Wall Hawkweed. Common Dandelion. Common Nipple-wort. Spear Plume Thistle. Creeping Plume Thistle. Melancholy Plume Thistle. Black Knap-weed. Mugwort. Mountain Cud-weed. (iolden Rod. Mountain Groundsel. Common Yarrow. Hairbell. Bilberry (Blaeberry). Cowberry. Cross-leaved Heath. Fine-leaved Heath. Common Heather. Field Gentian. Blue Jacob's Ladder. Upright Wood Scorpion-grass. Field Scorpion-grass. Party-coloured Scorpion-grass. Common Yellow Cow-wheat. Purple Foxglove. White Foxglove. Knotted Figwort. Marsh Lousewort (Red Rattle). Pasture Lousewort (Red Rattle). Yellow Rattle. Common Marjoram, Common Bugle. Wood Sage. Common Butterwort. FAUNA AND FLORA. 109 Plants found in Upper Lysimachia nemorum. Plantago lanceolata. Mercurialis perennis. Rumex acetosella. Empetruni nigrum. Salix aurita. nigricans. Orchis mascula. maculata. Listera ovata. cordata. Iris pseud-acorus. Luzula sylvatica. campestris. Eriophorum vaginatum. anguslifoliiim. Coquet and Kiui.asd — ( Con^i/i//eyy)'' a work of infinite value to the student of the British period in Northumberland. From its page.s — so full of faithful detail — we shall, by the kind permission of the learned author, draw largely in our attempt to describe the pre-historic remains that have been discovered in the two parishes mentioned. ' "These terraces have been considered Ly many persons, antl, I ihink, with every probabiHty, to be the places upon which some cereal crop was grown under a system of agriculture not quite intelligible to us. — Greenwell's British Barrows, p. 114. 112 UPPER COQUETDALE. " The accidental discovery of a cist in ploughing at Har- bottle Peels led me," says Canon Greenwell, " to examine the site, and I found that upon the spot had once been placed a cairn, which, within man's recollection, had been removed to furnish the materials of a neighbouring wall. The place, indeed, proved to be prolific of interments, though not pro- ductive of anything in the shape of weapon or implement. In consequence of the entire removal of the cairn, it was impossible to make out where the centre had been, or what the limits of its circumference The bodies had been principally interred in cists, the first of which was placed north-east and south-west, and was 2 54^ feet long, 2}^ feet wide, and 1 1 inches deep. It was made of four stones set on edee, with one at the bottom and another as a cover. Like all the others, it was sunk to its full depth below the surface. At the west corner was found a ' food vessel;' but no remains of the body were discovered in this or in any other part of the site of the barrow which was explored. The cists were too near the surface and too much exposed to the admission of air and moisture to have allowed any unburnt bones to have remained undecomposed. The vase (or ' food vessel ') is 6 inches high, 6}4, inches wide at the mouth, and 3^ inches at the bottom ; it is covered over the entire surface with encircling lines of oval impressions. At a distance of 4^ feet north of the last (the measurements being from centre to centre) was a second cist, quite like it in structure, lying north and south ; it was 3^ feet long, 2)^ feet wide, and i foot 7 inches in depth. In the south-west corner was a 'food vessel,' in shape like Fig. i, 5 inches high, 6% inches wide at the mouth, and 2^^ inches at the bottom. It has four thick and unpierced ears at the shoulder, and is covered for a space of 3^ inches below the rim (the pattern being carried over the lip of the rim and the ears) with encircling bands of lines, made by a sharp-pointed instrument, arranged herring-bone fashion. On the inside of the sandstone slab forming the BRITISH PERIOD. "3 south side of the cist was a very peculiar figure cut in outline with some fine-pointed tool, the marks left by which are as sharp as if made onl}' yesterday. It is reniform, or perhaps more like the shape of a human foot, 5^ inches long and 3 inches wide at the broadest part. It is possibly an abnormal form of the sculptured pits and circles, which, though they have usually their place on rocks and earth-fast stones or ' standing stones,' have on several occasions been found in association with burials, and often engraved on the underside of a stone placed as a cover for a cinerary urn or a deposit of burnt bones Immediately north of the cist just noticed was a cinerary urn reversed, and full of the burnt bones of an adult ; it was so far sunk into the ground that its rim was lyi feet below the natural surface. Though very much decayed, sufficient was left of it when discovered to show that it had been i foot 4 inches high, and ornamented on the overhanging rim with lines of twisted- thong impressions, arranged in a pattern of chevrons set on edge. Three feet south-east of the cist was a deposit of burnt bones, the remains of a child, laid upon the natural surface in a round heap 8 inches wide. Six feet-and-a-half north- west of the same cist was a 'food vessel' (Fig. i) placed on Fir; 1. 114 UPPER COf^UETDALE. the surface of the ground, with no visible remains of the body which it had, no doubt, once accompanied. It has four un pierced ears at the shoulder, and is 4^3 inches high, 5^ inches wide at the mouth, and 2i/( inches at the bottom. "It is, with one exception, the most beautiful specimen of its class, both in fabric and ornamentation, I have ever met with. The style of decoration will be best understood by reference to the figure. The markings appear to be due to different applications of the same pointed instrument, which has some- times been drawn over the moist clay ; at other times inserted directly into it, by which means both lines and dots have been produced. It possesses the unusual feature of being orna- mented on the bottom, w^here is a cross, formed by two transverse lines, with a series of dots along each side of the limbs. This rarely occurs on vessels of any kind ; the class to which the name of ' incense cup ' has been given being that where such ornamentation is most commonly applied. A few ' drinking cups ' also possess this feature, as also do some cinerary urns and 'food vessels.'^ Ten feet north-north-east of the second cist was a third, constructed in the same way, lying west-north-west and east-south-east, being 3 feet 2 inches long, I yl feet wide, and the same in depth. The cover-stone had been displaced by the plough at some former time. At the north corner was a ' food vessel,' a rude representation in its form of Fig. i ; it is 5 inches high, nearly the same in width at the mouth, and 2]/^ inches at the bottom, and has four unpierced ears at the shoulder. It is ornamented over the whole surface (including the inside of the lip) with a rather carelessly-drawn herring-bone pattern composed of lines made by a sharp-pointed tool. Eighteen feet north of the last was a fourth cist, lying north and south, 3 feet in length, 2 feet wide, and 2]^ feet deep, the cover-stone of which had also ^ Cinerary urns are those vessels which contain a deposit of Ijurnt bones. " Food vessels" are generally associated Ijoth with burials after cremation and by inhumation. BRITISH PERIOD. II 5 been removed. There was nothing found in it. At a distance of 6^ feet north-west from the cist first named, and placed on the natural surface, was a 'food vessel,' somewhat like Fig. i, but having no ears ; it is 6'^{ inches high, the same in width at the mouth, and 27^ inches at the bottom. The upper part, for a depth of 2j/j^ inches, is ornamented with a herring-bone pattern of finely-drawn lines made by a sharp-pointed instru- ment, the rest of the vase being plain. Nine feet north-west- by-west from this vase was a deposit of burnt bones, those of an adult, probably a man, laid upon the natural surface. " Thus it appears that the cairn had covered nine inter- ments, six of unburnt and three of burnt bodies; and it is not a little singular that no weapon, implement, or ornament was met with in association with any of the burials. This fact (and there are many others like it) is certainh- a difficult one to explain, when the question with regard to the purpose of placing various articles with the dead is considered, and the view is held that they were meant to be of service in another scene or stage of existence. For here we have a number of burials taking place under circumstances implying much pains and labour in the disposition of the several interments, and yet we find that nothing which might be supposed to be needed for a future use had been deposited with the dead. On the whole, fully admitting all the difficulties in the way, and not being at all able to explain them even to my.sclf, I incline to the belief that, where weapons, implements, and ornaments arc found accompanying an interment, they were placed there under the impression that in an after-life they would, in one way or another, be useful to the person with whose body they were associated. "On the side of the river Coquet opposite to that on which the last-described cairn was situated, and to the west of the village of Ilaj-bottle, upon a spur of the higher ridge which bounds the valley, were placed two cairns. One had been completely rifled long ago, the other I examined, it was Il6 UPPER COQUETDALE. 32 feet in diameter, and still 23^ feet high, though some of the stones had been removed from off the top. There was a circle of stones round the base. At a spot 7^ feet east of the centre, and on the natural surface, was a deposit of burnt bones of an adult laid in a round heap i foot in diameter. Three feet south-east-by-south of the centre, and 9 inches above the surface level, was a second deposit of burnt bones, those of an adult, laid like the first in a round heap, and also I foot in diameter. On the natural surface, and immediately beneath this deposit, were a (ew burnt bones, apparently belonging to a burial distinct from that found above them. Three feet north-west of the centre was a large earth-fast stone, having a flat stone laid alongside of it to the north-east. From this point the cairn had been commenced by regular courses of stones set on edge and inclining inwards. There was no appearance of there ever having been an interment at the centre. The second deposit of burnt bones was, however, placed just beyond the edge of the flat stone above mentioned, and it was probably the primary interment." 3 Besides the British remains discovered at Harbottle by Canon Greenwell, which have just been described, a number of stone implements and weapons belonging to the same period have at various times, been found in the immediate vicinity. A perforated stone hammer of porphyry, triangular shaped, slightly fractured, 4^2 inches long, a ^ inch hole in centre, bevelled on both sides of the hammer to i )4 inches, was found in 1892, by Mr. Wm. Davidson of Harbottle, in the bed of the river Coquet.4 The late Mr. G. R. Turnbull of Harbottle had a very fine perforated stone hammer that was picked up on the banks of the Coquet, near Alwinton. A porphyry quern — z.e., the upper stone of a hand corn mill — lay for many years in the garden of Mr. John Clark, the Harbottle estate wood- man, at Sheepbanks. There is in the Alnwick Castle Museum 3 Greenwell's British Barrows, pp. 422-6. *■ Now in the Museum of the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries. BRITISH PERIOD. 11/ a perforated hammer of trap rock. It was found close to a cist which contained bones, ashes, and an urn, about two- hundred yards north-west of East Bank, Burradon, Ahvinton, and was presented by Mr. Thomas Walby in 1859. The faces have been rendered concave in the direction of the cutting edge. The butt end is smaller than the cutting edge, and is rounded. Both ends have been injured by use. The shaft hole is oval in form, and is slightly contracted towards the centre. The stone is somewhat weathered. The length is 7 inches, and the breadth 2^ inches. 5 A beautiful example of a stone axe was found on the farm of Low Burradon by Mr. R. G. Huggup, who kindly gave it to the writer. The axe, which is made of a close grained quartzite, is 334^ inches long, 2}i inches wide at the cutting edge, tapering to i}4 inches at the butt, and shows signs of use both at the cutting edge and the butt. Two stone celts were discovered by Canon Greenwell near Burradon some years ago, which are figured in " Evan's Ancient St07ie Iiupkinenis." One is a beautiful flint weapon of a rare form, 8^ inches long, 2j^ inches across the cutting edge, and ly^ inches at the butt. The other is of dark coloured porphyry 4^ inches long, 2 inches wide at the cutting edge, tapering to i inch at the butt. The " food vessel " (Fig, 2) was found in a cist on the top of a quarry at Screnwood, near Netherton. It is rudely made of coarse clay, ornamented at the top with the charac- tcris*^ic zig-zag marking, which has evidently been done with a knotted thong and notched stick. It is 5 inches high and 41^ inches diameter across the top. This urn is now in the Cragside collection. In tlic \illage of Netherton there are numerous mounds, hollow ways, and intrenchments, relics of an early race, and on an eminence at the soutlicrn border of the township, called "Robert's Law," the late John Smart, of Trcwhitt Hall, found traces of an ancient cam)), in which were a number of querns or hanrl mill-stones. There is also a very 5 Catalogue of the .Museum at .Mnwick Castle. ii8 UPPER COQUETDALE. large barrow or mound on the west side of the Rithe, opposite, Trewhitt House. But to return to the banks of the Coquet : the late Joseph Elliott, of Holystone, who died in 1894, at the ripe old age of 86 years, found a finely polished stone axe in the Coquet gravel at Holystone, which in i860 he gave to Canon Greenwell, in whose superb collection it now is. On another occasion when Joseph Elliott and the late David Bolam of Warton Burn were cuttmg drains on the farm of Fig. 2. High Farnham, they unearthed three British urns which were unfortunately broken beyond repair by the spade. Although numerous cairns and mounds stud the moors between Har- bottle and Holystone, no earthworks or camps are met with until we reach the southern slope of the hill overlooking Holy- stone, where in a field in front of the house at Campville, or Lanternside, are seen sections of the high ramparts and ditch of what has been an extensive camp with a double rampart. BRITISH PERIOD. II 9 A subsidiary range of earthworks that appear on the opposite bank of the Dove Crag burn, in Hne with those in the field, seems to be a continuation of the camp itself; if so, this presents rather an uncommon feature, probably the beetling cliffs of the deep and rocky ravine that intersects the camp' would be thought a sufficient defence. A somewhat curious note re- lating to this place is found in Mr. H. MacLauchlan's Memoir of Watling Street. " Perhaps the name of Lantei'u or Lantron, as we have seen it, ma}' be derived from the British IJan, an enclosure; and fron, a breast. The Side is evidently more recent, the name would thus agree with the nature of the place. The breastwork or rampart seems to have been made since the Roman Road." This refers to the Roman causeway that leads ■ from ' Rochester in Redesdale to Whittingham on the: Aln, and crosses the field near the camp. On Holystone Common — a large tract of moorland l>'ing to the south of Holystone burn, and about half-a-mile from the camp just mentioned — there are several cairns, some of which were opened some years ago. When Canon Greenwell was pursuing his researches amongst the British remains in Upper Coquetdale, he examined two of the cairns that had not been much interfered with. The first, which measured 24 feet in diameter and 3^ feet in height, was formed of stones with a slight admixture of earth, and was found to contain two burials of burnt bodies, and a cist in which there was no trace of an unburnt bone, but a " food vessel " lying on its side was found in the east corner of the cist ; the vase is 4 inches high, 4)4^ inches wide at the mouth, and 2]/i inches at the bottom. The cist, which lay north-west and south-cast, was 2 feet long and 14 inches wide, made of four side-stones and a cover. In the second cairn, wliich was al.so 24 feet in diameter, but only \]/i feet high, some of the stones having been removed, were eight burials of bodies that had been burnt, also a number of flints and three urns. Amongst the human bones were the bones of a young goat or shcc[), "and 120 UPPER COQUETDALE. the presumption is that part of an animal, in the shape of food, had been placed with the human bodies on the funeral pile." Besides a small vessel of pottery placed upright on the soil amongst a quantity of charcoal, there was found a larger urn, 6j^ inches high,. 4}4 inches wide at the mouth, and 3 inches at the bottom, with an overhanging ornamented rim, ij/^ inches deep, containing a smaller vessel, in shape a miniature cinerary urn, 3^^ inches high, 2^ inches wide at the mouth, and 2 inches at the bottom, an overhanging rim I inch deep, ornamented with vertical lines. While Canon Greenwell was engaged in his work on Holystone Common, he observed an intelligent-looking boy standing by, eagerly watching the proceedings. The Canon spoke kindly to the lad, and finding that he was greatly interested in what he had seen, explained to him about the cairn and its contents, the modes of burial, and other information relating to the burial customs of the early inhabitants of the valley. At the same time he also told him to pick up every piece of flint he might happen to see in the fields when ploughing or harrowing. The result of this friendly chat between the man of science and the ingenuous country lad is the fine collection of flint imple- ments that have been gathered in the fields at Low Farnham by Mr. John Nicholson, of the Sheepbanks, for he it was who attracted the attention of Canon Greenwell on Holystone Common some forty years ago. On the opposite page we give drawings of eight typical shaped flints — four barbed arrow-points, one leaf-shaped arrow-point, and three knives or scrapers. Besides this selection, there are upwards of fifty other specimens, and a large quantity of flint chippings. As there is no flint found in the neighbourhood, it probably formed an article of barter between tribes, and during the winter months the occupants of a settlement or camp may have employed themselves in making these implements from the flint got in exchange for other commodities, which may ^^ ' ■^^'^, %M BRITISH PERIOD. 121 account for the quantity of chi'ppings found on one spot, in a field known as the " Nun's Close," all of which bear the marks of workmanship. Farnham is in the parish of Alwinton, five miles west of Rothbury, one mile east of Holystone, and stands on the gently rising slopes of the eastern bank of the river Coquet, which here runs from north to south. About two miles down the river, beyond Holystone, are the remains of Harecleugh camp (Harehaugh), whose deep triple 5? /x*— ' '--sZrj:^::::;;:^^ ramparts furrow the summit of an almost inaccessible promon- tr)rial ridge that stretches across the valley. It has evidently been a place of great strength ; roughly speaking, its diameter within the ramparts measures 270 feet, and the ditches arc 15 feet wide. The base of the hill is protected on the south by 122 URPER COQUETDALE. Swindon burn, on the east by the river Coquet, and on the north by Harecleugh burn. These streams at that early period would be surrounded with swamps and marshy ground which would act as the first line of defence. The most remarkable and the strongest portions of the fortifications are on the western side, where there are no natural defences ; there we find three high earthen ramparts with corresponding deep ditches. Each rampart would probably be surmounted by a stockade of stout wattles. On the moors to the west of this are a number of cairns or mounds, and on the hill beyond an alignment of standing stones called "The Five Kings." Those rude relics of a pre-historic age stand on the heathery and boulder-strewn slopes of Woodhouses Beacon, a hill rising some 900 feet above sea level. The summit of the hill is crowned by an immense cairn of stones, many yards in extent, which may have some connection with the monoliths below. Four only of these stones are now standing, the fifth having been removed to make a gate-post. This piece of vandalism was perpetrated some years ago, before the coming of Mr. Rich, the present owner, otherwise we should have still had " The Five Kings " complete, for Mr. Rich, with a true antiquarian spirit, is making it his care to preserve as much as possible the many BRITISH PERIOD. 1 23 relics of past ages found on his estate. The stones are stand- ing in a row, roughly speaking east and west, reading from left to right on the illustration. Xo. i is 8 feet high ; No. 2 is 5 feet ; Xo. 3 is 5 feet ; and Xo. 4 is 7 feet. The distances between the monoliths are as follows : — From Xo. i to 2 is 17 feet ; Xo. 2 to 3 is 10 feet ; and from Xo. 3 to 4 is 19 feet. The alignment at present measures 46 feet ; when there were five stones the full extent was 6^, feet. In whatever locality large standing stones occur, there generall}- clusters around them local legend and folk-lore. It has been said that the whole countryside around belonged to five brothers who were five kings, and these stones were erected to their memory. Care must be taken not to confound so-called " standing: stones " left on the hills during the glacial period with those that have actually been " set up." Alignments and stone circles have long presented a most difficult problem for the antiquary to solve. These lichen covered memorials of a far past race, untouched by tools, being formed of the rough surface blocks of the sandstone hill on which they stand, from their position and the manner in which they are "set up" shew un- mistakable evidence of organized labour and deliberate design, and, as Canon Greenwell remarks, what is called " The Five Kings has probably formed part of what once constituted a megalithic circle," or is possibl}- a portion of an avenue. A circular enclosure, with one rampart, is discernible on the hill-side south of the Elsdon road, between Swindon and Woodside bridge. The low-lying site of this earthwork near the ba.se of the hill, clo.se to Swindon burn, pro- babl)- indicates a cattle enclosure. On a rocky bluff one mile south-east of Harecleugh camp we find another pre- historic stronghold, generally known as W hitefield camp. The following paper read, on the spot, b)- the writer, to the members of the Xewcastle Society of Antiquaries, on their visit to Sir J. W. li. Riddell, liart., Whitefield House, in the summer of 1901, when there was akso exhibited a number of 124 UPPER COQUETDALE. flint arrow heads and other antiquities of the Ancient British period will best describe it : — " A few minutes ago we were standing within the walls of a well-appointed modern British dwelling ; we now stand within the precincts of an ancient British dwelling. A striking contrast they would present were it possible to have seen the two side by side. This camp, in its primitive state, would be surrounded by a massive rampart of earth and stones, surmounted by a high strong fence. Arranged within the rampart there would be a number of circular huts, with small doorways facing the south, having pointed roofs covered with sods and heather ; a fire of wood burning on the large stone flag, usually found in the centre of each hut circle, the smoke escaping as best it could ; a numerous colony of men, women, and children, moving hither and thither, using such domestic implements and tools, weapons of war and of the chase, as the members are now inspecting. With weapons such as these flint arrow- points, spear heads, and bronze axes, did the pre-historic inhabitants of the valley fight their battles, hunt the British ox in the woodland glades along the banks of the Coquet, the wild boar among the thickets of Swindon burn, the red deer on the heights of Kill-buck, the wild cat on Cat's-law, the prowling wolf in his lair at Wolfershiel, the raven on the lofty cliffs of Ravensheugh, or the eagle on Earnslaw,^ This hill-fort is known as Whitefield camp, Soldiers'-fauld, and Witches'-neuk. The latter is derived from a legend that * Meg o' Meldon,' in one of her midnight flights on broom shank or stalk of ragwort, rested on the rocks that form its northern defence. Roughly speaking, the camp measures 270 feet from east to west, by 212 feet from north to south, surrounded by a single rampart of great strength, with a corresponding deep ditch, which, on the south-east lines of defence, is yet some twenty feet deep. There have been two entrances to the camp ; one in the north-east corner, the other * Proc. Soc. Antq., Newcastle, vol. x., p. 49. BRITISH PERIOD. 12$ in the north-west corner. In selecting the position of these entrances defensibihty has been the object, as they are both placed at points where there is a steep ascent, rendering the approach somewhat hazardous. The north-east entrance passes straight through the lines of defence below the level of the ramparts, but above the level of the ditch. That on the north-west also leads right through the earthworks in the same manner, but it is defended by an earthwork on the south side of the opening, thus causing the path to lead out of the enclosure in an oblique direction, which continues down the north slope of the hill until it reaches the level plateau below. On this plateau is a number of small mounds, supposed to be burials. Several of these were opened some years ago b}- Mr. James Brook, of Hepple, who found most of them to contain a small quantity of dark brown substance. From the elevated ramparts of ' Soldiers'-fauld * seven other well-defined camps are visible — Callaly Castle hill on the north. Old Rothbury, West Hills and Tosson Burgh on the east, Caistron, Hetchester, and Harecleugh in the immediate locality, besides numberless cairns on the hill tops and earthworks on the slopes of the hills, all of which have their origin in pre-historic times. In and near Hetchester camp, which is on the brow of a hill on the opposite side of the Coquet from Whitefield camp, have been found many objects of interest. Canon Greenwell has in his collection a beautifully formed urn of the ' food vessel' type (Fig. 3), shewing markings o{ rather an uncommon character, which was found near Hepple." In a foot note at page 424, British Barrozvs, he thus describes it : — " I possess a very small ' food vessel,' with four perforated ears, being only i^ inches high, 2]^ inches wide at the mouth, and i^ inches at the bottom, on which is a cross of twisted-thong impressions." Several cjuerns, a few defaced Roman coins, and large quantities of antlers of the Red Deer, have from time to time 126 UPPER COQUETDALE. been laid bare by the quarrymen when removing earth from the top of the Hmestone ; this process, of many years' con- tinuance, has almost destroyed the outline of the ramparts of Hetchester. In the Nevvminster cartulary we find this place called " Heichester," probably to distinguish it from the low- lying camp or enclosure on the monks' lands at " Kestern," [ close on the banks of the Coquet. The level lands lying on the north side of Wreighill — on which Hetchester camp is situated — have also yielded their quota of pre-historic relics. Tate s MS S. contains the following record: — 1862. — "Three barrows were opened at Plainfield, one a cairn which was 25 feet in diameter, and was set round with stones, and 2 feet high. Within was a cist 5 feet long, E. to W., BRITISH PERIOD. 127 and an urn 7 inches high, jar-shaped, with chevron ornament, but broken. The second about lOO yards N.W. on a ' knowe,' 12 feet in diameter, set round with stones. Within were a cist and a large urn with chevron ornament, but broken. Another, east of Plainfield, in a field called the Bank — a low cairn with a broken urn. At Low Trewitt, near the burnside, on a rising ground on a fine loam, a cist was found S.W. by N.E., 4 feet long by 16 inches broad, containing a tulip- shaped urn, about 9 inches high, ashes inside (i837)."7 Mr. MacLauchlan, in his Memoir, p. 52, remarks further on this point : — " The marks of occupation about it, and above it on the moor, would lead to the idea that it had been an ancient settlement; there is a tumulus planted with trees, a little west of the house, and about a quarter-of-a-mile further west, on the north side of the rivulet, a cist was dug up, formed of large flag-stones placed in the form of a rectangle, with a large stone as a corner, and within the cist was an urn con- taining ashes and bones. The name of the tumulus is Maiden Knowe, and in the first part (of the name) we are disposed to see a Celtic orign." A fine quern of sandstone was turned up on Plainfield Moor some years ago, and now lies at. the front door of the farm house at Plainfield. In 1897, William Lindsa)^ found a bronze socketed celt, 3^ inches long and two inches wide at the cutting edge fFig. 4), in a field at Warton. This bronze implement is now in the Cragside collec- tion. A little further down the valley, in a field between Whittle and Cartington liank Head, a bronze dagger, 8 inches long, i]/:^ inches at the widest part of the blade (Fig. 5), was found in a cist beneath a mound by John Clark about 1890. 'Proc. B.N. Club, vol. xi., p. 297. 128 UPPER COQUETDALE. :'^t^ ?;'iVJ iWf: T4 iM 1 Passing a small camp on Bickerton hill the next of importance is Tosson Burgh, about three miles east of Whitefield, situated on a prominent spur of the Simonside hills, near Great Tosson. Having had the privilege of being associated some years ago with Captain Hedley, in the survey of Tosson Burgh, Lorden-shaws, and Old Rothbury camps we shall, by his kind permission, make use of his reliable description and measure- ments. "The Burgh (pronounced Bruff) hill is a quarter of a mile west from Great Tosson, near Rothbury. Its verdure makes the hill a land-mark on account of the contrast its colour affords to that of the surrounding heather and gray rocks. The hill itself is steep on its north side, and midway on the slope is a terrace. On the west and east side the slope of the hill is gradual, on the south side it is severed by a narrow and shallow ravine from a rocky and heather-covered plateau, extending to Spital hill, on which is the burial ground described by Mr. Dixon. "The Burgh hill camp occupies the sum- mit of the hill (746 feet). It is roughly oval, lying N.W. and S.E. by N.E. and S.W., and is 348 feet by 168 feet, and con- tains 17 acres. The rampart has been thrown up partly from the inside of the camp and partly from the outside. In places it almost appears to have a ditch both inside and outside. The rampart on the north side is now very ruinous, and seems never to have been of large size ; the natural strength of ,% 'PJ '-■^i Fig. 5. BRITISH PERIOD. I 29 this side would render much artificial protection unnecessary. From the south-east corner the defences round the south and south-west sides consist of a rampart and ditch, both much altered by time and cultivation. In its highest part the rampart is now nine feet high from the bottom of the ditch. The defences would in all probability be further strengthened by a stockade on the top of the rampart There appears to have been an entrance to the camp on the east side, as the ditch ends abruptly there. Another entrance is at the west end, and a third seems to have existed near the centre of the south side. In the narrow ravine to the south of the camp there is a rampart, or what seems to be one, raised in the centre of the depression, and with an opening through it opposite to what was probably the south gateway. This mound or rampart extends along the entire south face of the camp, disappearing opposite its west end, but continued for 150 yards east of the camp ; here, however, it may be natural, as it is difficult to recognise in this and other hollows to the east of the camp anything artificial. A ditch, however, which runs across the slope of the hill from north to south, and about a hundred yards east of the camp, is probably a portion of the defences It must be admitted, however, that the ditches and mounds to the east of the camp, and on the face of the hill, eighty yards south of it, are very puzzling, and but for their absolute want of connection and continuity might well claim to be artificial ; some of them have probably been formed by the traffic to and from the camp, and by the flow ^>f drainage water. I have described Burgh liill camp somewhat minutely, on account of its interest as an early place of defence, and as being very possibly the stronghold of the people whose burial ground, near Spital hill, has been extensively excavated by Lord Armstrong, under the superintendence of Mr. Dixon, who has given a description of the burials there. Three hundred yards south-east from Burgh hill camp are two 9 I30 UPPER COQUETDALE. circular spaces surrounded by a mound about two feet high, and respectively 23 and 17 yards in diameter. . . . Those are beyond a doubt the ruins of (ancient) sheep stells." Capt. Hedley further remarks : " It is very remarkable that we should find so many ancient British strongholds grouped together within such a narrow compass, and in such wild and inaccessible situations as do not appear suitable to a com- munity certainly possessed of flocks and herds, and almost as certainly practising some system of agriculture, though it may have been a rude one.''^ On the 22nd of August, 1890, the members of "The Durham and Northumberland Architectural and Archaeolo- gical Society "9 visited Tosson Burgh, when, seated on the ramparts of the camp, they listened with great interest to an address from the President on the people who occupied this country before the Roman invasion. In the course of his remarks Canon Greenwell said he did not think he could have occupied a more appropriate spot to speak of the Ancient Britons. " They were assembled on the outskirts of a camp, one which- possessed a commanding site and a most extensive view of the valley of the Coquet, both up and down its course. He desired to address a few words to them about the people to whom he attributed the camp and other early remains in the valley of the Coquet. Pre-historic times — the time before the occupation of Britain by the Romans — had been divided into the stone, bronze, and iron periods. It was due to the discrimination of the archaeologists of Denmark that this nomenclature had been adopted. About the facts of how and when bronze was introduced into Britain, it was difficult to come to a positive conclusion, but he thought they might regard it as coming in with a conquering people. They had been accustomed to regard the ancient Briton as a kind of savage who walked about with only a ** Arch, ^liana, vol. xv., pp. 33-6. 9 Transactions of the Society, vol. iv. , p. 12. BRITISH PERIOD. 131 >«.ti coating of paint as a dress. In such a climate as this such a dress would be impossible, and there was no doubt, if we may judge b}- the things discovered, that they were almost as well clothed as we are at the present day. He then discoursed at length upon the weapons used by the ancient Britons, and stated that, not ver\' far from where they were sitting, some fine examples of swords had been found ; and as recently as the previous Thursday a very good specimen of a bronze axe had been discovered by Lord Armstrong's workmen while trenching on the moor not a mile from the spot on which the}' were seated. He next spoke of the \: ornaments used in the bronze period, and of the clothing worn. With regard to the position under which these people lived as to government, he thought it was tribal rather than of the rule of a general head over the whole country." The swords referred to by Canon Greenwell are now in the Alnwick Castle Museum, and are thus described in the Catalogue, Nos. 230 and 231, p. 53: "Two leaf-shaped bronze swords ; one of them is i foot 9 inches long, it is perfect excepting that it is broken at its lower extremity ; it has four ri\ct holes in the handle, in which three of the rivets remain. (Fig. 6.) The other is i foot 2 inches and a quarter long, but the upper part of the blade^and the handle plate are wanting. The pommels of the handles of these swords are made of lead, a circum- stance which renders them quite unique. Three bronze rings were found with these swords, w hich were probably used in fastening the swords to their belts. They were found in August, 1868, on the side of the .Simonside Hills, near Great Tosson, Iv'ing under a rock, by a boy and a girl who were gathering ferns. The children at first mistook them for adders, and, before approaching too near, pro- vided themselves with stones for destroying the reptiles." ;9o.i m Vu:. 6. n,2 UPPER COQUETDALE. The flanged bronze axe (Fig-. 7) was found on Tosson Burgh, in 1890; it is 5 inches long, and 2 inches wide at the cutting edge. The discovery of this axe completes a set of three types of axes in use during what is now known as the bronze period, viz.:— The flint axe, Fig. 11, found on Crag- side hill; the socketed bronze celt, Fig. 4, from Warton ; and the flanged bronze axe, Fig. 7, at Tosson. It was rather a curious circumstance that the Tosson axe was dis- covered by a workman when trenching in the " Long Planting," close to Burgh hill camp, only a kw days previous to a meeting of the Durham Society, at Tosson, in 1890, when, much to their amusement, the members were informed by the learned president that the exhibitor of the axe " had had it dug up the day before expressly for their edification !" A very fine socketed bronze celt was turned up by the plough some years ago in a field at the bottom of the Burgh hill, which has, unfortunately, been lost sight of The two amber buttons or amulets (Fig. 8), were found by Fig. 8. some workmen when cutting drains on Simonside. Many years ago four cists were discovered in a limestone quarry„ BRITISH PERIOD. 1 33 near Great Tosson. In one of them was a body, probably that of a woman, the cist containing in addition a jet button and a "food vessel." Another held a body with a jet button similar to, though rather smaller than the other. There was also in this cist a "food vessel" in shape like Fig. 9, S}i inches high, Fig. 9. 7^ inches wide at the mouth, and 3^ inches at the bottom ; it is ornamented on the inside of the lip with four encircling lines of twisted-thong impressions, and on the upper three inches of the vessel with bands of lines arranged herring-bone fashion, and made by the application of very thick and loosely twisted thong. The other two cists contained each the remains of an unburnt body, but with no associated article in either case. An iron javelin or spear-head, and a small bronze buckle, are said to have been found in one of the cists, but both the objects named seem to be so evidently of later date as to make it probable that they belonged to some post-Roman interments which had taken place at the spot many centuries later than the era which saw the construction of the cists in which the vases and buttons were found. It is a fact that some bodies interred at full length, and with the heads to the west, were discovered at the same place, and it is more than likely that with one of them the iron spear-head had been associated." '° '" Greenwcll's /iri'/t's/t Barrows, pp. 43 1 -2. 134 UPPER COQUETDALE. CHAPTER VIII. BRITISH PERIOD. Burial Mounds on Simonside, opened 1889 — Lordenshaws Camp — Extensive Ramparts — Entrance Defences — Hut Circles — Alignment of Stones — In- scribed Rocks — Ancient Trackway — Cist Found at Hospital, 1902— Polished Stone Axe — Canon Harcourt— Food Vessel near Rothbury, 1833 — Querns in Mr. Donkin's Garden Rockery — Collection of Flint Arrow-points, Rothbury — Garley Pike — Pike House Camp — Craghead Camp — Urn Found at Bull Bush, 1876 — Ancient Camp near Brinkburn Priory — Quern at Crag End — Hut Circles at Whitefield — Bronze Sword Found at Cragside, 1888 — Flint Axe, 1889 — Barrow Digging on Debdon Moor, 1902— On Cartington Moor — Old Rothbury Camp described by Captain Hedley— Curious Mound — Large Hut Circle — Kate's Cist — Cartington Cove — West Hills Camp. TO complete the record of ancient British remains found in the township of Great Tosson, we here give, at the risk of being tedious to our readers, some account of the barrow opening on Spital hill and Simonside in 1889. One day duiing the summer of that year John Rutherford, a workman employed on Lord Armstrong's estate at Great Tosson, brought to us a package carefully wrapped up in his red pocket handkerchief, which we were agreeably surprised to find contained fragments of a British cinerary urn, found on the hill that afternoon whilst he and his companion were trenching the ground for the purpose of planting trees. He said that, on attempting to dig into a mound, they came upon a large slab of the local freestone, and having an idea there was something valuable or wonderful under- neath, they dug a trench through the centre of the mound, when, unfortunately, the spade of one of them struck the urn and broke it. Thinking, however, that their discovery was of some interest, they carefully gathered up the broken BRITISH PERIOD. 1 35 urn with its contents. We immediateh' sent the frafj- ments to Lord Armstronp^, with an account of how and where they had been found. His lordship at once took an interest in the matter, and, accompanied b}' his agent (Mr. W. Bertram) and the writer, proceeded to Simonside, and marked several mounds thought likel}' to contain burials. At the same time his lordship placed at our disposal a gang of intelligent workmen, on whom we could place reliance. Most of the burials were found on the " Spital hill," whose relative position to the British camp on Tosson Burgh has already been described. The " Spital hill " is one of the northern outliers of the Simonside range, about two miles south-west from Rothbury, and rises to the south of Great Tosson in three distinct shoulders or ridges, the summit of each ridge being a level plateau of some acres in extent, heather clad, and bestrewn with slabs and boulders of rough sandstone. The lower ridge is denoted between the "joo and 800 contour lines on the Ordnance Map ; the second ridge between the 800 and 900 lines ; the third and highest between the 900 and 1,000 feet lines, on which stands a large and conspicuous pile of stones known as "Willie's Cairn." About a mile southwards from this cairn are the rugged peaks of Simonside, rising some 1,400 feet above the level of the sea. Altogether there were ten mounds excavated, with more or less instructive results, five of which we shall now describe. NO. I — BURIAL AFTER CREMATION. This — the accidental discovery of the burial referred to — occurred on the second ridge. The cairn containing the burial was 20 feet in diameter, 3 feet high, ft^rmcd of earth and stones overgrown with heather, and devoid of ;ui)- method in the arrangement of the stones. At or near the centre, in a cavity a little below the natural surface of the ground, a small cinerary urn was discovered standing upright, protected by a circle of stones set on edge arountl it, with a larger slab placed 136 UPPER COQUETDALE. on the top. A considerable quantity of calcined stones and charcoal were found in the cairn on the same level as the interment. The urn contained burnt bones ; but it was so much broken that it was scarcely possible to piece the frag- ments together. There was only one burial in this cairn. NO. 2 — BURIAL BY INHUMATION. About 200 yards west of burial No. i, on the north-western verge of the same ridge, there is a large mound of irregular form. On its south-western margin, at a depth of 3 feet from the surface of the mound, the excavators struck upon a large slab of freestone, 4 feet 8 inches by i foot 10 inches. Beneath this slab was a perfect well-shaped cist, formed of four clean level side-stones, placed nearly due east and west, 3 feet 4 inches long, i foot 10 inches wide at the west end, 2 feet I inch at the east end, and 20 inches deep. The cist was clear of any intrusive soil, and on a level bed of the native peat earth lay the remains of a body on its left side, in a contracted position, that is, with the knees drawn up towards the head, the head slightly bent forward, in the north-west corner of the cist. Neither " food vessel " nor flint imple- ment was found in the cist. After careful examination, Dr. Barrow, of Rothbury, reported the remains to be those of a male adult, probably between 30 and 40 years of age, from 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 4 inches in height. The skull is distinctly brachy -cephalic or round-headed, belonging to a race who are generally supposed to have supplanted the older dolicho-cephalic or long-headed race of people in Britain. NOS. 3 AND 4 — BURIALS BY INHUMATION. NO. 5 — BURIAL AFTER CREMATION. NO. 6 — BURIAL BY INHUMATION. About TOO yards west of burial No. 5, on the same ridge, and about 200 yards east of " Willie's Cairn " underneath a mound of earth and stones, a cist of unusual shape was BRITISH PERIOD. 1 37 discovered, empty. The peculiarity of its form, as well as an uncommon arrangement of seven thin slabs of stone, each 2j^ inches thick, placed along the edges, and across the corners of the cist below the cover, as if to give the large slab a level bed, was the source of much speculation. The direction of the cist is N.W. and S.E. The space available lengthwise to contain the body of a person would be about 3 feet 6 inches, although the full length from the extreme point to the base is 4 feet 4 inches, the width at the base is 20^ inches, and the depth 17 inches; the slab cover measured 3 feet 9 inches by 2 feet 8 inches, and 3 inches thick. NO. 7 — BURIALS AFTER CREMATION AND BY INHUMATION. About 120 yards north of" Willie's Cairn" a larger mound than any of the preceding was opened. It measured 26 feet in diameter, 6 feet in height, and contained three burials, viz: — two cists and a cinerary urn, also two "food ves.sels." The central cist, which doubtless contained the primary burial, lay E. and W., was 3 feet long and 2 feet deep beneath the natural surface of the ground, rudely lined with stones, and had three covering slabs ; no remains were discernible ; but in the .second cist, which was 5 feet S.S.W. from the central one, having a direction S.W. and N.E., and measuring 3 feet 3 inches long, 20 inches wide, 19 inches deep, with two covering slabs, there was found a large (ieposit of calcined bones and ashes, evidently the remains of several burnt bodies in a fragmentary condition, placed in the cist after cremation. Judging from the reddened appearance of the closely sur- rounding stones and soil, it is probable that the bodies were burnt on the site of the burial. Tlicre were no flints, nor implements of any kind, found amongst the contents of this cist. In the same mound, at a distance of 4 feet cast of the central cist, the cinerary urn (Fig. A) was found standing in an inverted position on a flat stone on the natural surface of the ground. This stone shewed no traces of having 138 UPPER COQUETDALE. been through fire ; therefore, in this case the body or bodies had not been burnt on the place of interment, but the contents of the urn shewed that the funeral pyre had been on a spot not far off, for the bones and ashes within the urn were mixed with the native peat soil and pieces of local sandstone. Eighteen inches south of this cinerary urn a smaller urn was found, and about 3 feet S.E. of the central cist a second was found. Both were standing upright, and on the same level as the larger one, and both were evidently of the ordinary " food vessel " type. One only has been preserved (Fig. B) which measures 5^ inches high, 5 inches diameter at top, and 5}^ inches diameter at widest part. It exhibits no attempt at ornamentation, but has had two handles on the rim, portion of one handle or ear yet remains. A few weeks after its exhumation, the cinerary urn Fig A, which meas- ured 12 inches high, 12 inches diameter at widest part, and 9^ inches diameter at the top, vvas emptied of its contents in the presence of Lord Armstrong and party, at Cragside, when a flint implement, 3 inches long and i^ inches wide, was found near the top ; one side of the flint is neatly flaked, the other side is flat just as the piece has been split off the core. Further down near the centre of the urn, which was quite full of burnt bones, pieces of sandstone, and peat soil, were found several shreds of pottery, probably of another urn, all of which had apparently been gathered up in a promiscuous manner and placed in the urn with the burnt remains. The urn bears the usual characteristic scorings of ancient British pottery. The overhanging rim, 2]/^ inches deep, is ornamented with alternate scores of vertical and horizontal lines ; below the rim, for a space of 3 inches, the urn is covered with a zig- zag pattern. It is evident our British ancestors had regard to the due proportions and graceful outline of their funeral urns, for as a rule, the diameter at the widest part is much about the same as the height of the urn. t^.^/xoN noi> Fig. a. 1303 Fig. C. UKITLSH rERIOl). I 39 NO. 8 — BURIAL AFTER CREMATION. NO. 9 — CAIRN ON RAVENSHEUGH. NO. 10 — r'ROBARLE BURIAI, BY INHUMATION. Having been informed by Mr. Geo. Turnbull, the farmer at Great Tosson, that there was a very large cairn on the northern slopes of Ravensheugh, just below two standing stones, called h)' the country people " Kate " and " Geordie," under his guidance, we proceeded to the spot, and found an enormous pile of stones on a projecting ridge, having a steep declivity in front with the hill rising behind. The cairn measured 27 feet from E. to W., and 30 feet from X. to S. The four men after ^Jigging 3-t this cairn for a day-and-a-half, when at a depth of ten feet from the apex of the mound, came upon a rudely-built cist of four rough slabs of freestone, and a cover of irregular shape and colossal proportions, but the superincumbent weight of stones had completely thrust the side stones of the cist, which were standing on the natural surface of the ground, out of their original position. The cist was entirely filled up with sand and bracken roots, which was careful!)' removed and examined, but no trace of a burial was discovered. The base of the cairn consisted of a number of large rock boulders, placed around in a somewhat systematic manner, which formed the first layer or foundation. Near the centre of the cairn a pit-marked stone was met with (Fig. C) ; the hollows are very similar to the markings on the rocks at Lordenshaw's camp, two miles distant. Several authorities state that when a cist is found empty in the centre of a cairn under circumstances such as we have related, there has been no burial, and those empt)' barrows have been spoken of as cenotaphs, monuments raised to commemorate but not to c(jntain the dead. Canon Grcenwcll says "up to the time he publisherl British Barrows, he came to the conclusicjn that there were no such thin^rs as cenotaphs, but he had since altered his opinion. I Ic opened a barrow last year in the ICast Riding of Yorkshire, the largest 140 UPPER COQUETDALE. in that part of the country, and whilst finding bones of animals in good preservation, there were no signs of a body having occupied the grave. The grave had never been disturbed from the time the mound was erected." ^ At all events, whether cenotaph or burial mound, the site of this more than ordinary pre-historic memorial, erected by a people whom, it is evident, had the greatest respect for their dead, has, for pleasant- ness of situation, been well chosen. Standing as it does in a sheltered rocky defile, under the shadow of the lofty crags of Ravensheugh, the peaceful valley of Chesterhope stretching along the front of the hill, with Chesterhope burn winding its way by Wolfershiel and the Twizel, around the base of Tosson Burgh ; while beyond is the rippling waters of the Coquet, and in the distant north are seen the round-topped hills of the Cheviots. East of the Spital hill, amongst the heath on the banks of Routing burn, there is a small enclosure, rather oblong in form, some fifteen yards in diameter, with a single rampart and ditch, usually called Newtown camp. In the cultivated fields on the lower slopes of Ne.vtown farm a number of flint arrow-points and "scrapers" have been picked up by the work- people, one of the best collectors being Miss Mary Bootieman, who periodically brings her " finds " to the writer. A mile east from this, along the base of the hills, is LORDENSHAWS CaMP. "This camp occupies the summit of a lofty ridge — an eastern spur of the Simonside range — at an elevation of 879 feet above sea level, and about two miles south from the village of Roth- bury. The view from the site of this camp is extensive ; on the west stretches the fertile valley of Upper Coquetdale, the round and verdant hills of the Cheviots forming its northern boundary, with the black heather-clad sandstone hills beyond Holystone and Harbottle closing in the view on the west, ' Proc. Soc. Antqs. Newcastle, vol iv., p. 174. BRITISH PERIOD. 14! Looking eastward the winding valley of Lower Coquet opens out to view, while some twenty miles off glisten the waters of the North Sea ; Coquet Island and Druridge Bay being clearly discernible. About a mile to the south-west of the camp rises Spy Law or the 'Beacon,' a prominent hill 1,181 feet above the sea. On its summit are a hugh cairn, and a circle of stones 36 feet in diameter ; the circle is formed of the stones gathered from the hill, and thrown up without any attempt at regular building, such as is found in the walls of hut circles with sunk foundations. Although it does not occupy so prominent an outshoot of the Simonside range as the sentinel-like camp on Tosson Burgh — whose verdant cone, in marked contrast with the surrounding heath-clad sandstone hills, forms a conspicuous landmark throughout the district. Yet, from the ramparts of Lordenshaws, nearly the whole of the neighbouring camps are visible — Old Rothbury and West Hills on the north bank of the Coquet, above Rothbury ; Garley Pike and the Pike camp on the east ; the camp at Ewesley Railway Station on the south ; and on the west New Town, Tosson Burgh,. Whitefield, Harecleugh, Hetchester, and Castron ; while in a range from the north-west to the north-east can be seen Roberts Law, Cartington Pike, Dcbdon Moors, Cragside Hills^ Shirlaw Pike, and the heights of Rimside Moor stretching down towards Long Framlington, on all of which are numerous earthworks, hut circles and burial mounds of pre-historic origin. Located as it is on the summit of a moorland ridge, with nearly an even slope on all sides, its outline unbroken except a section of the outer rampart on the eastern line of defence, which an earthen dyke intersects, enclosing a piece of ground termed in the parish tithe map as ' Old Improvement,' this camp is one of the most complete in the valley. Its defences consist of three ramparts, with a deep ditch between the two outer ones, which in several places yet measure 12 feet in depth. The outer rampart encloses within a circumference of 474 yards, an area of 3483 acres, the inner one, within a circuit 142 UPPER COQUETDALE. of 225 yards, encloses 1-282 acres, thus leaving 2-201 acres between the outer and inner lines of defence." " In form, the camp is an irregular oval, the northern section of the inner rampart extending from the eastern entrance to the western, being nearly semi-circular, whilst the rampart on the south side run in a fairly straight line from the western gateway in a south-easterly direction ; it then turns abruptly to the north, and terminates at the eastern gateway. The two entrances to the camp are unique, more particularly that on the eastern side, which, with its grey lichen-covered gateposts still /// situ, appears almost in its primitive condition. This entrance is defended by earthworks to the right and left, which extend from the inner to the outer ramparts, forming a pass- age 66 feet long by 18 feet in width, the width of the gateways being 8 feet 4 inches. 2 The western entrance has, at the present day, an earthwork only on the south, with one side of the gate- way on the north remaining. This portion of the fortifications = In Christie's Early Fortifications in Sc ot/aiid {iSgS), is found the following note at p. 217, on: — "Defences of Entrances. — Hornworks thrown foiivard to flank the entrance. These are rare, perhaps, from their liability to destruction owing to their exposed position. I only know of five instances, in some of which the indications are very slight." BRITISH PERIOD. 143 may have been destroyed by the thirteenth century builders of Robert Fitz Rogers' deer park wall, that passes close to the west side of the camp. Within the camp are several well defined remains of hut circles ; one of these measures 19 feet in fiiamctcr, having walls two feet high, in a good state of preservation, the doorwa>' on the south, and the floor paved with flat stones ; a large flag in the centre appears to have been under the action of fire. A small hut is incorporated in 144 UPPER COQUETDALE. the ramparts on the south-west line of defence, not far from the western gateway. Slight traces of what would appear to have been a made way, is observable traversing the interior of the camp, running east and west from gate to gate. From the eastern gateway a hollow way leads down towards the south- east into the slack between the camp and Garley Pike ; here is a spring of water and a small burn or sike, which would probably be one of the water supplies of the camp." " During the occupation of the camp the constant traffic of men and animals, and perhaps a flow of surface water would,, in the course of time, deepen this roadway to its present dimensions, which has a varying depth of from four feet to nine feet." 3 A line of stones described in the parish map as " large stones set in a line," extends across the morass or slack between the hills already noticed. Regarding these, Canon Greenwell says : — " Three lines of stones placed apart are still to be seen, which (although the stones comprising them are but of small size) appear to be representations of the megalithic linear structures found elsewhere, and of which the lines of Carnac are the grandest and best known examples. "4 In the space between the outer and inner ram- parts, on the south and south-eastern side of the camp, is a series of earthworks which extend from the inner to the outer rampart forming small enclosures, these being within the outer line of defence might be used as cattle pounds, for in close proximity are the remains of hut circles. Several large rocks in the vicinity of the camp bear those mysterious markings found on sandstone rocks in the vicinity of other British camps in North Northumberland. These archaic sculptures consist of small pits or hollows and concentric circles with and without radial grooves, the meaning of which yet exercises the minds of many of our most eminent 3 Arch. /Eliana, vol. xiii., p. 229. * Greenwell's British Barrows, p. 226. BRITISH PERIOD. 1 45 antiquaries, one of whom wisely remarked : — " as to the origin and signification of which it were still folly to be \vise."5 The rock containing the greatest number of these pit and circle markings is on the west side of the old deer park wall, and about 240 yards west-south-west from the camp. There is a second rock, rather difficult to find, 154 yards north-west from the large rock, although much smaller ; it contains an interesting example of the " horse-shoe " inscription, a form not found so frequently as the pits and circles. On the north- east side of the hill on which the camp is found is a number of grave mounds. Two of the largest have been excavated. The first was 32 feet in diameter and 5 feet high. xA cist was was found in the centre, lying nearly east and west. The cist was 3 feet 8 inches long, i foot 10 inches wide, and 2 feet 3 inches deep, formed of four side-stones and a large cover. There was no trace of a burial. This cist can yet be seen with its covering slab l3'ing near, on the lower ridge of the hill on the way to the camp, after climbing the last stile on the footpath from Rothbury to Lordenshaws. The second, which was within 20 yards of the former, was 26 feet in diameter and 4 feet high, a cist was discovered in the centre of the cairn, which lay E.N.E. by W.S.W. It was 2 feet 8 inches long, i fcot 8 inches wide, 13^ feet deep, made with four side-stones and a cover, 3 feet long by 2^ feet wide. The cist was completely filled in with sand. No trace of bone was discovered, the body having totally gone to decay ; but amongst the sand was a little charcoal, together with two small pieces of pottery.'^ A line of small stones may be traced from these two burial cairns, leading up the ridge amongst the heather towards the camp. A n ancient trackway, which seems to have led down the little valley of Whitton Dene, enters the river Coquet below the Little Mill. It is most probable there would be frequent ^ History 0/ Northitiii/ierlaud (\Z%), p. 6. — C. J. Bates. 'Grcenwcll's Btilish Barrows, p. 430. 10 146 UPPER COQUETDALE. communication between the various settlements, and as this road trends up towards Lordenshaws camp, it was probably part of a highway up and down the main valley of the Coquet, as here and there along the course of the river are seen traces of old hollow roads. During the summer of 1902, a stone- lined grave was discovered in a field on the northern bank of Whitton Dene burn in the following manner: — On the 12th of June, 1902, as the workmen employed by Mr. Thos. Muckle, builder, Rothbury, were digging the foundations for an exten- sion of an isolation hospital, in a field on the south side of Silverton Lane, about a mile south from the village of Roth- bury, they struck upon a cist or stone-lined grave. The site occupies the summit of ridge 500 feet above sea-level. The cist has been sunk beneath the surface of the ground, as the covering slab is yet fully two feet below the natural level. The following measurements were kindly supplied by Mr. Muckle, who took every care to preserve the cist-vaen intact, only a portion of the cover was removed. The grave lies about east and west ; when opened it was full of surface water, and no remains were found. Length of cist, 3 feet ; width at west end, 18 inches; width at east end, 16 inches; depth, about 18 inches. Somewhere in the near locality a very fine stone axe was found by Canon Harcourt, Rector of Rothbury (1822-70). It is now in the Alnwick Castle museum. It is described thus: "No. 31. A celt found in Rothbury; it was presented by the Rev. C. G. Vernon Harcourt. It is made of a close grained greenstone, polished all over, and has a fine edge. It is straight across the top. Length five inches, breadth at cutting edge two inches and three-quarters." Fragments of a " food vessel " were also found near the town of Rothbury in 1833, made of a coarse material, and rudely constructed. This is also in the Alnwick Castle museum. At the present day querns are often seen on garden rockeries, where, as a rule, they are carefully preserved. We know of a quern of porphyry from the Harbottle district, and one of sandstone found in the BRITISH PERIOD. I47 gravel of the Coquet, below Rothbury, both of which adorn a rockery. Mr. Robert Donkin, Haw Hill House, has three very fine specimens of British querns lying on the lawn in front of his house — one each from the vallevs of the Breamish (porphyry), the Coquet (sandstone), the Wansbeck (sand- stone). We ourselves have a fair collection of flint arrow-points, knives, scrapers, and axes, all of which have been found within, or near to the pre-historic camps and burial places located on the banks of the Coquet between Alwinton and Brinkburn. Beside the line of stones on the northern ridge of Lordenshaws hill, the remnant of another row is met with on the north side of Garley Pike, where the line, as it ascends the hill, is broken b\' a wire fence, man}- of the stones having been used as bases for the iron posts of the fence. The remains of several hut circles in good preservation are plainly to be seen on the summit of Garley Pike. About a mile down the moors east from Garley Pike are the ramparts and ditch of Pike House camp, which is o\al in form, and roughly speaking, 180 feet in diameter. The entrance appears to have been on the east, but a modern fence intersects the western lines of the camp. Further down the hill on the south side of the railway, nearly opposite to Crag Head, there is a strongly entrenched camp. On its most exposed sides next the rise of the hill, triple ramparts are found, but on the north, •where the steep ascent forms a natural defence, two ramparts have been deemed sufficient. The entrance has evidently been on the south-east, as a track-wa)' leads from the lines at that point. The camp is circular and measures about 170 feet diameter within the inner rampart. At V>w\\ Bush, on the southern confines of the parish, a cist was discovered a few years ago, containing an urn, which is now in Alnwick Castle mu.seum, described in the Catalogue as: "No. 17. This is a small heavy urn formed of coarse materials, and appar- ently badly baked. It was found in 1876 in digging a drain 148 UPPER COOUETDALE. near the Bull Bush cottage, on Mr. Stephenson's farm, in Rothbury South Forest. It was in a cist formed of flat stones, having a flag both at bottom and top, and covered above by about six inches of gravel. Calcined bones were found in it ; some are in it now. Height, 4 inches ; width at top, 4^ inches ; at bottom 3 inches." 7 The hill on the north bank of the Coquet, behind Brink- burn Priory, bears signs of an early occupation. " The ancient camp," says Mr. MacLauchlan, "on the hill above the Priory of Brinkburn is about 300 yards long and 100 wide. It is of an irregular figure, gently falling towards the east, and towards the south being slightly convex. It contains about seven acres ; is precipitous on the north, south, and west sides, and is cut off from the east by a formidable rampart, extending about 100 yards in length from the declivity on one side to \7 l*, (90? Fic. 10. that on the other. It apparently had a ditch on the east, faint traces of which are still observable. The rampart has four openings through it at present, but which was the original one, or how many there were, must be a matter of conjecture. Perhaps the south-east corner one was originally there. We find a hollow way passing out of this corner of the camp, which seems to have had a branch near the foot of the hill towards the bridge."^ The finding of a quern at the Cockshott farm, a stone axe in a field at Todstead, a flint implement at Healey, and cup- marked rocks near the mouth of the Black burn on Pauperhaugh farm, indicate the existence of a pre- historic settlement somewhere in the vicinity. Cragside Hill, embracing a wide expanse of lakes, crags, hills and heather, extends from the banks of the Black burn westward, beyond Debdon burn, to the western edge of the moorland heights 7 Catalogue of Museum at Alnwick Castle, p. Ii. ^ MacLauchlan's ^'^//'c'ly ^ ^a^/^r;; IFat/in^- Sireei {i8^j-g), p. 12. BRITISH PERIOD. 149 that overlook the valleys of the Coquet and the Rithe in the neighbourhood of Thropton. These moorlands are thickly strewn with relics of a primitive people. Immediately north of Crag End farm ancient earthworks are traceable, near which a sandstone quern was dug out a few years ago by Mr. John Todd, of Crag End. In and around Whitefield farm, some two miles over the moors to the north, is a number of hut circles and earthwork enclosures. In a somewhat sheltered spot to the west of Whitefield — almost within the policies of Cragside — there are six hut circles, each 9 feet in diameter, and two larger ones about 20 yards apart to the east, as well as a number of burial mounds. In 1888 a bronze sword, 36 inches long (Fig. 10), was found in the bed of the stream that flows through Cragside grounds, and pre- |^ sented to the Newcastle Society of Anti- quaries by Lord Armstrong. A fine specimen of a flint axe or adze (Fig. ii) was found on Cragside Hill in 1889, by Robert Taylor, one of the workmen, who gave it to Lord Armstrong, It is t,^ inches long, ij4 inches wide at the cut- ft :f). 1903 Fig. II. ting edge, and is now in the Cragside collection. Debdon moor, which lies to the north of Rothbury, immediately behind Addeyheugh, is dotted with burial cairns, which, in the opinion of the late Mr. Scott, had been the bur}Mng place for Old Rothbury camp.9 During the autumn of 1902, accompanied by Miss Adye, from Cragside, and having the help of two careful diggers — James Tait and William Ballantyne — we opened two of the burial mounds on Debdon moor. The first was 16 feet by 1 1 feet in diameter. This cairn, although .s}-stcmatically built of ^ GnUe to Roihbury (1885), p. 4. — Rev. A. Scott. I50 UPPER COQUETDALE. stones and earth, contained no burial ; but in the second mound, which was formed exactly in the same fashion, but larger, for it measured 20 feet in diameter and 3 feet high, there was found a cinerary urn standing in the south-west corner of the mound. There was no cist, but several large stones were placed around the urn, which, from some outward pressure, had thrust the urn out of its position, and it was so thoroughly imbedded in the soil, that it was not possible to remove it entire. The vessel showed the usual notched mark- ings, and contained peat soil, calcined bones, and other remains of a burnt body. There was neither sherd nor flint imple- ment with this burial. The mound is close by the footpath over the hill, and only a few yards distant from a large " standing stone." When Canon Greenwell was carrying out his investi- gations in Coquetdale, he opened two grave-hills out of a group of three, placed nearly together in rather an unusual position, in a hollow between the hills on these moors. The first was 34 feet in diameter and 3 feet high, constructed entirely of stones. At the centre was a cist, laid N. and S., 3 feet 2 inches long, 2 feet 2 inches wide, and 2 feet deep. The body (that of a full-grown person) which had once occupied it had gone almost entirely to decay, nothing being left except the middle portion of the right femur. The second cairn had a circle of eight stones, the inner diameter of which was 14^ feet, round the base. The interment was found at the centre, where, in a hollow, i^ feet in diameter and i^ feet deep, was a deposit of burnt bones, those of a person in middle life, intermixed with pieces of charcoal. Amongst the whins on Chirnells moor several small sculptured stones may be seen, while, on the opposite ridge, a very fine arrow-point was found and given to the writer by Mr. W. Woodcock of the Red Chirnells. We shall finish this somewhat prolonged chapter on the Ancient British relics in Upper Coquetdale with an account of Old Rothbury camp, when we shall again avail ourselves BRITISfl PERIOD. 151 of the lucid notes of Capt. Hedley : — " Half-a-mile N.W. from Rothbury, and immediately behind the Penny Stone Quarry, is situated the camp of Old Rothbury. It occupies the western extremity of the freestone range which encircles Lord Armstrong's grounds, at Cragside, and the village of Rothbury. The situation is naturally a strong one on its northern and western sides. To the east it is sheltered by a higher plateau of the same formation, but this shelter is gained at the expense of security, as the site is overlooked and commanded from this plateau within bowshot of the ramparts. " The camp area is intersected N. and S. by a road, and E. and W. by a farm fence. Such portions as lie to the north of this fence have been under cultivation, and conse- quently the defences have been very much destroyed. "The eastern lines, immediately north of the gateway, mentioned below are in particularly fine preservation. They consist of two ramparts and two ditches, the dimensions of which are as follows:- — Depth of first ditch, 5 feet 8 inches; height of first rampart from outer ditch, 7 feet 4 inches ; depth of inner ditch 8 feet 6 inches ; height of inner rampart, 7 feet. " The defence of the south side has consisted of two ram- parts and two ditches. Of these, little that is instructive now remains. The situation here is marshy, and possibly the stones composing the ramparts have been extracted to use for other purposes. The ramparts end abruptly at their western extremity, and leave a passage 35 feet wide, which may have been, and probably was, one of the camp gateways. The wcs»- side of the site, at least southward of the stone wall mentioned as intersecting the camp, is naturally very well defended, for here the freestone range ends in a rugged and inaccessible crag. Northward of the stone wall, wIiltc the natural position is weaker, a rampart of stone has been con- structed. Of this little remains but heaj^s of rubble and 153 UPPER COQUETDALE. refuse, as the stones suitable for walling have been taken away. " Several circular dwellings may be traced in the angle between this rampart and the modern stone wall. These possess no special features of interest, but have only escaped by their situation near the crag face, where an insufficiency or soil prevented cultivation. "Much detritus covers the crag face at the north-east corner, and this seems to have been taken advantage of for use as a roadway, probably to the well situate near the base of the hill, within the outer ramparts, and not far from Kimmernod house. " The north face of the camp site, though covered with soil and stone rubbish, is still very steep, and has been regarded as sufficiently strong to need no further protection than that afforded by a rampart and ditch scarcely traceable now, and probably at no time very large. This defence runs round the base of the hill, and includes the well of the camp within its circuit. " A fine entrance to this camp may be seen at the S.E. corner, where a ledge of rock forms an excellent passage to the hill face overhanging Rothbury. This gateway may have had some connection with a rampait and ditch, which, first seen near the County Hotel, run up the hill face towards the camp, and join in a portion of their course a deep gully known as Anton's Letch, which once used to harbour a ghost. To the north of this south-east entrance the outer rampart is recurved to meet the inner, thus forming, as may be seen in other examples, a traverse to the right hand on entering. " The total area enclosed by the inner part of Old Rothbury is 3'429 acres, within a circuit of 530 yards. A curious feature in this camp is a mound of earth and stone. It may have been a portion of a camp which existed here when the present double ramparted area was enclosed, or it may be the remains of a division or defence for enclosing the flocks and herds of the BRITISH PERIOD. 153 f tribe or community who occupied the camp. What militates against either suggestion is that the termination of the embank- ment near the centre of the camp is quite distinct, and its further course across the area is not to be traced even with the aid of the imagination. A third suggestion is that it may have been constructed specially as a shelter from the north to a group of ten or twelve hut circles clustered under its southern side. The most easterly of these circles is of very great dia- meter, viz., 56 feet, the one next to it being 20 feet across, whereas the ordinary diameter is 16 feet. Without any great stretch of the imagination, we may regard this very large circle, which was probably never roofed in, as a place of general assembly, and the larger circle next it as the abode of some person of greater consequence than those housed in the lesser huts. . . . Round about the camp are scattered hut-circles and earthworks, the particular uses of which are not very apparent. It is probable that those earthworks are co-aival with the camp, and were used at such times as the camp was not occupied. The camps known as ' British,' seem from their situation and construction to have been made, not for permanent residence or to withstand a siege, but only to retire to in times of danger, and to form a defence against surprise. "A large oblong rock, jutting out from the southern face of the hill on which the camp stands, is known as " Kate's Kist." It has a horizontal cleft near its top. Whether this curious name is a freak of modern local nomenclature, or whether it enjoyed a more extended use, going back to pre-Roman times, it is not for us to suggest."^" Below the camp also is Cartington Cove, a recess or cave which, local tradition says, is connected by a subterranean passage with Cartington Castle, three miles distant ! . . . The rock at Cartington Cove had at one time a series of incised concentric circles and central hollows, which were "^Arcb. -T'liana, vol. xiii., \>. 230. 154 UPPER COQUETDALE. calted in the locality " Cups and Saucers." Canon Greenwell has in his collection of ancient British relics a " drinking cup," found in a cist at Old Rothbury. On a lower ridge of the hill, about half a mile to the west of this camp, are the double ramparts of the circular camp of West Hills, whose lines are in a much more perfect condition than those of Old Rothbury. Its diameter within the inner rampart is 167 feet, that of the outer 411 feet. The camp occupies the western edge of a rocky bluff overlooking the valley, which in feudal times was the Gallow hill of the lords of Rothbury, but now the site of a pleasant Northumbrian farmhouse. . . I . \it^1ltll-.\f»^M^-/Ji/ ^.1' ,(/Ji •*>;r»"»liC''*-'- >,;lll//' THE BORDERLAND. 1 55 CHAPTER IX. THE BORDERLAND. Roman remains at Chew Green, Holystone, Trewhitt, and Brinkburn — Shaft of Anglian Cross in Rothbury Church — Anglo-Saxon Townships and Villages — "Folc-lands" or Commons— The Norman Conquest — Change of Owne — Norman Lordships in Coquetdale — Scottish Wars— Pele Towers and Bastle Houses — Border Watchers (1549) — Scotch Raids into Coquetdale (1584-89) — Mottoes of old Border Families— Plundering Propensities— Jethert Justice — The Borderer described — Muster of the Armed Men of Coquetdale on Roberts Law (1538)— List of Names and Places — Old Names still extant in Coquet Valley — The Borderers' Weapons— A Border Ballad. % flTH the exception of the elaborate fortifications of Chew Green camp, at Coquethead, very sHght traces of the Roman period are found in Upper Coquetdale. The undoubted work of the Roman is certainly met with at Holy- stone, Trewhitt, and Brinkburn, but these remains consist only of portions of their famous paved causeways. That which crosses the Coquet, 1,300 yards east of Brinkburn Priory, is called the Eastern Watling Street, to distinguish it from the other Watling Street, which goes through Redesdale by Woodburn and Rochester, then onwards bv Chew Green into Scotland. This branch starts from Portgate on Tyne and leads through the country by J^olam, Angerton, Brink- burn, I'ramlington, and Bridge of Aln. The road seen midway between Trewhitt Hall and High Trewhitt is another branch which, leaving the Watling Street at Rochester in Redesdale, traverses the moors eastward to Holystone, thence by Sharperton, the Trevvhitts, Lorbottle, and Callaly, joining the Eastern Watling Street near to the Bridge of Aln. A fine .section oC this branch can be seen on the moors west of Holystone, well paved with large stones, and about ten feet 156 UPPER COQUETDALE. wide. Wherever the road crosses a cornfield, its course, during the summer months, is easily discerned, for the corn- stalks on it are much shorter, and the grain ripens much sooner than in the other parts of the field. The fragments of the tenth century Churchyard Cross at Rothbury are the only structural remains that survive to tell the story of the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Upper Coquet valley; yet the nomenclature of the district — names of villages and townships, language and dialect — all testify how largely those characteristic marks of the Teuton pervade the valley, and also shew how tenaciously a language clings to a people, while all things else change. For upwards of 200 years after the departure of the Romans somewhat of a blank occurs in the pages of our history. Traditions there are in abundance, which, when other lights are dim, it is not always wise to entirely reject, for often within the husk of the legend a few facts and figures are preserved. Towards the close of the fifth century three tribes of Anglo-Saxons — Jutes, Angles, and Saxons — crossed the North Sea from the opposite shores of Jutland and Sleswick in their high-prowed keels, and colonised the coast of Britain from the Forth southward. Rivers and estuaries were the invaders' highways into the interior of the country, and it may have been then that the first band of Angles entered the mouth of the Coquet, and, having formed a settlement at Warkworth, ascended the stream, and spreading over the valley, eventually reached the higher lands of Upper Coquet, where we find townships and villages bearing true Teutonic names even to the present clay. Allowing for the vagaries of modern spelling, we should say the place-names given below denote the principal Anglo- Saxon settlements in the district : — Framlington, Rothbury, Thropton, Hepple, Holystone, Harbottle, and Alwinton ; while Brinkburn, Hesley Hirst, Whitton, Snitter, Cartington, Netherton, Burradon, Biddleston, Clennell, Sharperton, Farn- THE BORDERLAND. 1 5/ ham, Wreighill, Flotterton, Warton, Bickerton, the Tossons, and the Trewhitts, were probably their lesser townships. "The smallest political division was the mark — the plot of land in some fruitful plain or valley by the side of a stream, of which a family or little community took possession. But in the earlier times great forests and wastes surrounded the clear land of the settlement ; and these, because forming the boundary, were called mark-lands ; they were not appropriated to individuals, but were reserved as the common property of the settlement, where all could depasture their cattle, and whence all could obtain wood and other products of the forest and moor-lands. They were the people's property, and could not be alienated, and hence were called folc-lands The commons or moors, over which the inhabitants of several villages and towns had commonable rights, are remains of these folc-lands." I Until the division and enclosure craze of the early part of the nineteenth century, when those ancient pasture lands were divided amongst the freeholders and the adjoining large landowners, there were many such commons in Upper Coquetdalc. AUvinton (enclosed 1863), Harbottle (1817), Holystone,^ Hepple (1805), Thropton (1815), Roth- bury (1831), Whitton Chirnells (1807), and Framlington (1855), all possessed their acres of common lands, rights- of pasture in which were also claimed by some of the adjoining townships. " Each little village of the old English community possessed a general independence of its own, and lay apart from all the others, often surrounded by a broad belt or mark of virgin forest. It consisted of a clearing, like those of the American backwoods, where a single family or 'Tate's I list, of Alnwick, vol. i., p. 36. 'There is no award of Holystone Common to be found in the County Records at the Moothall, Newcastle, Init Mr. P. Dodds kindly informs me that the Common was not divided. After ihc late I'trcival T. Clenncll, of Harhollle Castle, bought the lands belonging to the Selby estate, at Holystone and Woodhall, he also bought up the rights to the Common from C. I'orslcr, Campville, and the Duke of Northumberland. 158 UPPER COQUETDALE. kindred had made its home, and preserved its separate inde- pendence intact. In the middle of the clearing, surrounded by a wooden stockade, stood the village, a group of rude detached huts. The marksmen each possessed a separate little homestead, consisting usually of a small wooden house or shanty, a courtyard, and a cattle-fold. But while in America the clearing is merely a temporary phase, and the border of forest is soon cut down, so as to connect the village with its neighbours, in the old Anglo-Saxon fatherland the border of woodland heath, or fen, was jealously guarded as a frontier and natural defence for the little predatory and agri- cultural community. Whoever crossed it was bound to give notice of his coming by blowing a horn, else he was cut down at once as a stealthy enemy. The marksmen wished to remain separate from all others, and only to mix with those of their own kin. In this primitive love of separation we have the germ of that local independence and that isolated private home-life which is one of the most marked characteristics of modern Englishmen. "3 This peaceful home-life of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers did not at all times prevail, for, besides the devastating descents of the Danes, tribal disputes and family feuds were not unfre- quent amongst them. John Richard Green tells us that each "township," as the village was then called, from the "tun" or rough fence and trench that served as its simple fortifications, formed a ready-made fortress in war, while in peace its entrenchments were serviceable in the feuds of village with village, or house with house. The Norman Conquest wrought many and great changes in the old English life — in its government and customs, as well as ownership. With some few exceptions 4 the Norman 3Angle-Saxon Britain. — Grant Allen (S.P.C.K.), pp. 17-13. " " The small fiefs of Dilston and Chevington were held by Knights of English origin, while the thanes of Halton, Callaley, Hepple, and Roddam, retained those manors and their dependencies by a less honorable tenure." — Hist, of Northum- berland, C. J. Bates, p. no. THE BORDERLAND. I 59 overlord took the place of the Saxon thane, and the bulk of the population became servile to their conquerors, whose aim it was to sponge out as much as possible the individuality of the Saxon ; their language was banished from court, super- seded in legal documents by Latin and Norman French. While nearly everything in daily use was re-named by the Norman, a Saxon sewer became a Norman tailleur ; a Saxon flesher, became a Norman butcher ; ox flesh, became beef; calf's flesh, veal ; sheep's flesh, mutton ; swine's flesh, pork ; and deer's flesh, venison. Presently we find the townships and manors in Upper Coquetdale grouped together into baronies and lordships. Redesdale and Harbottle, once the possessions of the Saxon, Meldred, son of Akman, was granted to Robert de Umfraville. Ralph Fitz-Main holds Cartington, as the King's forester for Northumberland. Robert Fitz- Roger has the lordship of Rothbury, with its members — Tnropton, Snitter, and Newtown. Ivo. Tailbois is lord of Hepple. Caistron is part of the barony of Greystock. Gilbert Batail, a kinsman, of the Umfravilles, holds Netherton; Chirmundisden, Biddleston, Clennell, Alwinton, Burradon, Netherton, Sharperton, and Farnham — Coquetdale manors, being part of the barony de Vescy, of Alnwick — are held by the Umfravilles of Harbottle ; while Brinkburn and Framling- ton belong to the barony of Mitford. Strongly fortified castles now began to be erected in Northumberland. Norham, about 1121; Bamburgh, 1131; Alnwick, 1 138 ; Warkworth, 1205 ; Prudhoe, 1 172 ; Harbottle, 1 1 57. These strongholds were held by the great barons, while sheriffs were appointed by the King over each county to collect the King's taxes, and the feudal system thus became firmly established throughout the land. In those far-off days, following on the Norman Conquest, lands were generally held for personal service of one kind or another, cither in capite (that is, direct from the King) or from an overlord. Each estate thus held from the Crown was held by its tenant on the l60 UPPER COQUETDALE. condition of military service at the ro)'al call ; and when the larger holdings were divided by their owners, as was commonly the case, into smaller sub-tenancies, the under- tenants were bound by the same conditions of service to their lord. As time went on, strongholds began to be erected on the various manors by the sub-feudatories, but on a smaller scale than the ponderous castles of the barons. These fortified mansions or border towers could not, however, be built with- out a royal license, until after the devastations of the Scotch army before the battle of Neville's Cross (October 17, 1436), when the Crown, instead of regarding them with jealousy, rather encouraged their erection, as a line of defence against the incursions of the Scots. In Upper Coquetdale— without including Harbottle Castle — there were border strongholds known as pele towers, at Linnbrig, Barrow, Alwinton, Clennell, Biddleston, Cote Walls, Burradon, Low Trewhitt, Farnham, Flotterton, Harecleugh (Woodhouses), Hepple, Thropton, Cartington, Great Tosson, Whitton, and Elyburn (Lee) ; besides a large number of fortified farm-houses or bastle- houses — later erections — such as are known to have existed at Harbottle, High Shaw, The Craig and the Raw, Netherton, Bickerton, Warton, Newtown, Whitton, Brinkburn Hope, as well as many of the old farm-houses in Rothbury Forest. In 1549 an elaborate plan of watch and ward was established along the borders. A cordon of sentinels was stationed on the tops of the higher hills, and from sunset to sunrise watchers were set at all fords and passes by which it was possible for an enemy to approach. Over and above the order of the Coquetdale watches, already given in a previous chapter, the various passes and fords in the higher reaches of the river were carefully guarded every night by men out of the neighbouring townships, whose pay consisted of fourpence a night each man. The passes and fords in Upper Coquetdale were watched as follows : — THE BORDERLAND. l6l " Betwene Grene Lyghton and Heppell ... xij (men) Betwene Heppell and Tharneham iiij Betwene Tharneham and Sharperton ... iij Betwene Sharperton and Allaynton ... iiij Betwene Allaynton and Clennell ij Betwene Clennell and Byttylsden ij Betwene Byttylsden and Scranwood ... iiij Betwene Scranwood and A}-lename ... iiij "5 The need of such precautionary measures on the part of the Borderers against the inroads of the Scots into the fertile pasture lands of Upper Coquetdale will be easily understood by a perusal of the list given below, which shews a small portion only, of the losses sustained by the men of Coquet- water towards the end of the sixteenth century. 1584, May — Complaints of Forstcj' and others. — By Sir John Forster against Read Marten Ellott of the Hueghe- howse, Jocke Ellott, his brother, Arche Ellott of the tlill. Will Ellott of the Stretchellhill, alias Will Henhead, Jeymeye Ellott of the Armitage borne, called Jeymes Gawen, Yll Hobbe of the Ramsgill, son to Gawen of the Rowghelie, Arche Ellott of the Shawes, brother to Edie Ellott of the Shawes, Arche Nixon, alias Coefoole of the Steile, and nebles Clemey Crosier, and others above 20 score, for stealing from his place called the Ridleie borne in the forest of Harbottle, on the 3<^' May, 1584, seven score kye and oxen, with insight,^ worth 40I. sterling. By Sandie Hall of Ycrduppc, against Erauncis Arm- stronge of Whittawghe, Hobbe Armstronge of Whittawghe, Eckie, young Tom, Elley, and Ebbey Arm.stronges, all of the Gingells, Tom of Glendennengs son, his brother Christie the same Toms son, ICckic Armstronge of the Harlawe, called Eckis Tom, Dickie Armstronge of Driauppe, Edie Ellott of the Shawe-s, Willie Ellott of Thorlosoppe. Clemey Crosier, 5 Hoflgson's Northumlicrland, J'arl III., vol. ii., p. 240. * Insight — Household goods. — HcsloiJ. 11 1 62 UPPER COQUETDALE. called nebles Clemey, Davie Ellott the Corlen, and Hobbie Ellott of the Burneheades, and lOO others, for running an open foray at the Slymefoote on the Middle Marches, stealing 300 kie and oxen, 40 horses and meires, spoiling 30 " sheles,"7 to the value of lool. " Englishe," and taking 20 prisoners. Sundry incursions and day forays done in the Middle March, since the last of April, 1587, by the opposite realm, chiefly in Cookedale and Rydsdale, without redress, laying the said frontiers waste, and forcing the inhabitants to beg and leave their dwellings even more than in time of war. Fernehurst tenants, &c.8 — 30th April, 20 of West Tevedale took 24 oxen and kye from the Lennt brigges in the day time, within 2 miles of Harbottle. Fernehurst. — On 25th May, 8 of West Tevedale took 4 horsse from other 4 " carrage men " of Rothbury, within 2 miles of Morpeth, and cut 2 fingers from one of them. Bothwell.9 — On 29th May, 80 of Ledesdale and West Tevedale ran a day foray to Harbottle, and took 60 oxen and " kye." Cessford.^° — 30th June, 16 of E. Tevedale took 16 oxen and kye and one horse from Lurbottle, and hurt i man in pursuit. On 6th Jul)', 20 of the same country took 10 oxen and kye from Thropton. On the 15th July, 12 of same took out of Strangwood (Screnwood), John Horssley's house, 120 sheep. On i8th July, 30 of E. Tevedale took out of Warton, within 2 miles of Harbottle, and hurt 3 men, 30 oxen and kyne, 6 horses. On 7th August, the Laird of Buckclugh, ^^ with 200 men, burned the Woodsyde, in Riddesdale, and ' Sheles — Shepherds' houses. ^ The tenants of the Kers of Ferniehurst. 9 Bothwell — Lieutenant on the Scottish Borders, a favourite of Mary, Queen of Scots. '° Cessford — The clan uf the Kers of Cessford. "Scott of Buccleuch, termed by Lord Dacre "chief maintainer of all mis- guided men on the Borders of Scotland." — Letter to Wohey, July i8th, 1528. THE BORDERLAND. 1 63 murdered one, John Dunne. On 9th August, 160 of W. Tevedale burned Xetherton, within 2 miles of Harbottle, and carried away 80 cattle. 1590. — Willian:! Loren complains upon Robert Armstrong " Robine the Taillor," Rinion Armstrong of Tweeden, Matthew Armstrong, Adam Ellott, son to Davie of Dunlies," Alexander's Arche," Armstrong, &c., for coming to Trewhit the 26th January last, breaking Robert Storie's house, taking away a black mare, price 4I., money and insight 5 marks, carrying said Robert prisoner to Scotland, and keeping him. Jock Sanderson, Anton Wilkingson, and Clement Wilking- son of the Lynbrigges, complain upon Hobb Nixon of Kelleley, Jenken Nixson, his brother, Geordie Nixson of the Lareston burne, John Noble, Martin Ellott's man, Clemy Croser, Martin's son, Jock Sheill, Robin Ellott's man, Steven Sheill, his brother, for stealing 13 kye and oxen, 3 horses and meares, and insight worth 61. sterling, on 6th March last. The Laird of Varren, John Snawdon of Lynbrigges, John Wilkenson of Dunsgren, George Gren of Allenton, with the rest of the town of Allenton and Linbriggs, complain upon Will Ellott of Fidderton, Hobb Ellott, larde of the Burne heades " Quintins," Arche Croser, Renyon Armestrong of the •Gyngills, and 200 others, for reiving 100 kye and oxen, 20 horses and meares, spoiling the town, and taking 20 men prisoners, 23rd June, 1589. Sir Cuthbert Collingwood complains upon Jock Burne of the Coatt, younger, Mark, Charlie, and George Burne of Elis- heugh, Richie Frame, Thome Burne of Autenburne, and Jocke Younge, " Blackhall," who, " in forcible manner, entred the outter courttinge of Harbottle castle," and took Go kye and oxen, 14th August, 1588. *' Maister Slingsbie persoun (rector) of Rothburie," and Thomas Dickesoun, upon Will Davisoun of the Marchc ■cleughc, Jamye Hall of Hevisyde, younger, and Robert Hall •of same, his brother, Will Davi.soun of Throgdenn, John l64 UPPER COQUETDALE. Davisoun, his brother, and Peter Hall of Hevisid, for stealing- 20 kye and oxen, 20th July, 1588. Jenkin Humble of Wartoun, upon Jamy Hall of Heviside, thelder, Jamye Hall and Hob Hall, his sons, Willie Hall of Hevisyd, Jamy Hall of Capupp, James Robsoun of the Burewens, Rinioun Robsoun, the younger of Middlesknowes, for stealing 24 kye and oxen, 6 young nolte, and 4 calves, 13th August, 1588. George Gren of Allentoun, upon Hobb Oliver and Will Burne of Hownam, for 12 kye and oxen stolen from Pigdenn, January, 1587. - The Laird of Trewhitt, upon Jock Bume of the Coatt, Thome Burne of Autonburne, Charlie and Marke Burne of Elisheugh, for theft of 16 kye and oxen, and insight worth 20 nobles sterling, at Candlemas, 1587. Lewes Pott of Trewhitt, upon George Davisoun of Throg- den, William Mowe of Mow mayns, Henry Davisoun of the Burne fitt, and Thome Younge of the Townheed, for 6 kye and oxen, a meare, and insight, worth 40s. sterling, at Lammas, 1587. William Gibsoun of Shipbankes, upon Thomas Burne of Autenburn, Jock Young, " Blackhall," Mark Young of the Cove, for 10 kye and oxen, a nage, and insight, 20s. sterling, July, 1587. Thomas Reed of Burrotoun and John Reed, his brother,, upon James Hall of Hevisid, younger, James Robsoun of the Burvens, John Mow, son to Launce, and 20 men, for reiving 24 k}'e and oxen and a horse, worth lol. sterling, 4 September, 1589. Percevall Clennell, upon Giles Dowgles, " Gile the gose " of Over Chatto, for 6 kye and oxen, at Christmas, 1587. Francis Radclif of Cartingtoun, esquier, upon John Mowe, young laird of Mowe, " for troubling his mann Raiphe Fen- wick, Roger Fenwick, and Edward Hall, in their lawful THE BORDERLAND. 1 65 troad^s j'li following xxx^ie sheipp," driven b\- him, taking them prisoners, robbing them of 2 horses, with furniture, a dag, 13 a dager, a speare, a steal cappe, a Ham (?),^4 on Sunday, 1st February, 1589. Hewy Rotherford of Myddletoun hall, upon Dand Davi- soun of Hosley, Robert Davisoun, Hatherlandes, for theft and reset^5 from the Newtown in Rothburie forest, of 16 kye and oxen, a mear, " couler whitt," price 40s., and insight 5 marks, ^6 about last of November, 15 89." ^7 It must be remembered that the Borderers on both sides of the Cheviots were alike in their plundering propensities, " knowing no measure of law but the length of their swords," amongst whom it was truly said, " The King's \\rit runneth not." Therefore, as one might imagine, these raids were not forgotten b}- those on the English side, and many a reprisal raid of Northumbrian borderers — frequently led by the Warden of the March himself — harried the vales of the Kale and the Bowmont or the lands of Teviotdale and Liddesdale, when, regardless of whose cattle they lifted, they repaid themselves with interest. Some idea of the state of turmoil and blood- shed on the Borders during the sixteenth century ma\- be gathered from the account Lord Evers rendered of his plun- dering expeditions into Scotland, which tended to increase the rancour then existing between the two nations. In 1544 Evers and Sir Brian Latoun, with an army of borderers, ruthlessly devastated the whole length of the Scottish borders from Liddesdale on the west, when they destroyed 192 towns, towers, barmekins, parish churches, and bastlc houses, killed 403 Scots, took 816 prisoners, carried off 10,386 cattle, 12,492 "Trode — A footpath— A track. — Wright. '3 Dag — A large pistol. '••Liam — Lyam a thong used to lead a hound.— Wright. '5 Reset — To harl)our an outlaw. — Ileslop. '^Mark — A coin of the value of 13s. 4d. — Wright. ''Calendar of Border Papers. — Hain, pp. 138, 262, 263, 267, 349, 351, 359, 360, 361, 362, 364, 365. l66 Uri'ER aJC^UETDALE. sheep, 1,296 horses, 200 goats, 850 bolls of corn, besides an enormous quantit)- of " insight gear." " Indeed, the history of this part of Northumberland was once nothing more than an eternal see-saw of victories and reverses, both sides — Scotch and English alike — being alwa\'s ready for a fra}', and very loth to spoil it b}- inquiring too minutely into the cause thereof. If the English went too long without killing some stray Scot, the Scotch made up for it by killing an English- man, and, as it was a point of honour on both sides not to apologise for accidents of this kind — at least not till after the fight — the materials for a quarrel were always handy," ^^ A complaint of the Scots against Cuthbert Musgrave, captain of Harbottle Castle, ran thus : — " The instruction for Ross herald say that Cuthbert Musgrave, in the month of July last, came with five hundred Englishmen, at ten o'clock fore- noon, to the lands of Yetholm and Kirk Yetholm, in Scotland, and seized and carried off three thousand five hundred sheep and five hundred nolt, whereof the deput}'-warden refused to make redress, alleging the\' had acted b\' order of Lord Wharton, warden-depute of all the Marches, under the Duke of Northumberland." (Keith;. The mottoes of some of the Border families were symbolic of their predatory profession. " We'll hae moonlight again " was the motto of " Wat o' Harden." " Best riding by moon- light " was the old motto of the Buccleuchs, " Strong in Arms " is the motto of the Armstrongs of Cragside. The late Lord Armstrong, a descendant of the Liddesdale family, was often heard to say that he came of a notorious family, for it was an old saying — '' The Elliotts and the Armstrongs ride thieves all." When on a border fora}-, nothing came wrong to the raid- ing mosstrooper, provided it was not " too heavy or too hot." An amusing story is told of Walter Scott, of Harden — a fine type of the old Scottish borderer, best known amongst his •8 "Times," October, 1868. THE BORDERLAND. 1 67 kinsmen as "Auld Wat o' Harden." Upon one occasion when the village herd was driving out the cattle to pasture, the old laird heard him call loudh', to drive out Hardens cow. ''Hardens cow /" echoed the affronted chief — " Is it come to that pass? by my faith, they shall sune say Harden's kye (cows)." Accordingly he sounded his bugle, mounted his horse, set out with his followers, into Northumberland, it is said, and returned next day with " a bow (herd) of kye, and a bassend (brindled) bull." On his return with this gallant prey, he passed a very large haystack. It occurred to the provident laird, that this would be extremely convenient to fodder his new stock of cattle ; but as no means of transporting it were obvious, he was fain to take leave of it with this apostrophe, now proverbial : " By my soul, had }-e but four feet, ye should not stand lang there." ^9 James IV. and James V. of Scotland did all in their power to keep order on the borderland, and to afford their subjects justice and protection. The Scottish clan of Turnbull had been guilty of great excesses, when James IV., by a night march, coming suddenly to Jedburgh, executed stern justice upon the astonished offenders. Their submission was made in a singular and characteristic manner. Two hundred of them met the King, at the water of Rule, holding in their hands the naked swords with which they had perpetrated their crimes, each having round his neck the halter they well deserved. A few of the worst of them were hung — many were imprisoned, and the rest were discharged after having been bound over to keep the peace. ^o In later days, during the reign of Charles I., mosstrooping was still in vogue, and it wasonly by his mother wit that "Christie's Will" saved his neck. His real name was William Armstrong — a lineal descendant of Johnnie Armstrong, of Gilnockie, who, with forty-si.x of his followers, were strung up on the trees in Curling Rig by ■' Introduction to Scott's " Minstrelsy of the Border." »"Ibid. 1 68 UPPER COQUETDALE. James V., about 1529. Christie's Will was lying in Jedburgh jail for horse stealing, when the Earl of Traquair happened to visit the town, and, knowing Christie's Will, inquired the cause of his incarceration. W'ill replied he was in for stealing two tethers (halters) ; but, upon being more closely questioned, admitted that there were two delicate colts at the end of them. The joke amused the Earl so mnch, that he used his influence, and succeeded in releasing Christie's Will from bondage. Some time after, Lord Traquair was engaged in a lawsuit, in which he knew the president, who had the power of giving his casting vote, was against him, therefore he engaged his friend Christie's Will to help him, by kidnapping the judge while taking his airing on Leith sands, and conveying him, it is said to Harbottle Castle, where he was kept in durance vile for three months, until the trial was over. Numbers of Border riders were executed without the formality of a trial, and it is even said that, in mockery of justice, assizes were held upon them after they had suffered. The following is told of Lord William Howard of Naworth Castle, a Warden of the Marches in the time of Queen Eliza- beth. This nobleman was much attached to letters, and to interrupt his hours of study was an offence cautiously avoided by the domestics, particularly as one intrusion had been attended with fatal consequences. His lordship was one day engaged with his books, when a retainer burst into the apartment to tell his master that he had captured a Scots mosstrooper, and to inquire what he should do with him. " Hang the fellow ! " said Lord William, peevishly, an expression intended only to convey his dis- pleasure at the intruder. The servant, however, accustomed to the most perfect obedience, construed the passionate ex- pression into a command ; and a iew hours afterwards, when his lordship directed the man to be brought before him for examination, he was told that, in compliance with his order, ihe man had been hanged ! THE BORDERLAND. 1 69 This summary method of execution was known on the Borders as " Jethart Justice," a proverb still extant, which signifies trial after sentence. A similar proverb exists in Devonshire as " Lydford Law." " I oft have heard of Lydford Law, How in the morn they hang and draw, And sit in judgment after." In a pla}- of the seventeenth century (1654), a Northum- brian borderer, on being asked where he belonged, replies : " I was born in Redesdale, in Northumberland, and come of a wight^i riding surname, call'd the Robsons ; gude honeste men, and true, savying a little shiftinge^z for their living. God help them ! silly, pure men." Sir Walter Scott, in Marniion, depicts the character of a Borderer thus : — " Not so the Borderer — bred to war, He knew the battle's c'in afar, And joy'd to hear it swell. His peaceful day was slothful ease ; Nor haq3, nor pipe, his ear could please, Like the loud slogan yell. On active steed, with lance and blade, The light-armed pricker plied his trade — Let nobles fight for fame ; Let vassals follow where they lead. Burghers, to guard their townships bleed. But war's the Borderer's game. Their gain, their glorj', their delight, To sleep the day, maraud the night. O'er mountain, moss, and moor ; Joyful to fight they took their way, Scarce caring who might win the day, Their booty was secure." At this period every Northumbrian borderer could wield his brand, as well as guide the plough or herd the cattle. The Muster of 1538, from which we extract the list of Coquet- dalc yeomen who assembled on Robert's Law, near High Trcwhitt, is of great interest. It not only records old family " Wijjhl — Strong. — Jamieson. "Shiftingc — Raiding and catlle stealing. I/O UPl'ER COQUET I) ALE. names but shows the number of men able to bear arms, man)^ of whose descendants are still to be found in the valley of the Coquet. Musters for Northumberland in 1538. " The avewe of musters tayk}'n by Sir Cuthbt. Radclyffe (of Cartington), Knight Constable of the King's Castell of Allnwyke, and Robt. Collingwode (of Eslington), Esquyre, the xvii. and xviii. day of Apryle, the xxxth yere of oure sourayne Lorde Kinge Henry the eight, takyn on Abberwyk More and Robert's Lawes for Cocdale ande a part of Bourghe Ward, by vertewe of the King's comyschone to theym dyrecte wyth others. Daited at Westmynster the fyrst day of Marche the yere of the reyne of oure saide Sourayne Lorde afore sayd." Neytherion — Ed. Gybson. John Bollem. John Kyrspe. John Turner. Thomas Bart. Ed. Chamberlan. Will. Kyrspe. George Heslope. John Thomson. Robt. Bollem. Hahle with horse aad hartiess. James Bollem. .. , , . , , , , Al.I.ENTON — Hable with horse ana harnes. Neytherrton James Wylkinson. John Steynson. Willme Horsley. j^^^g Wylkinson. Robt. Turner. Cuthbt. Hall. Georg Turner. Alexand. Past. John Steynson. WiUime Pot. Rye. Turner. Thomas Gybson. William Tyndell. Q^o^ge Brown, Robt. Boddyll. QgQ^gg Wylkinson James Boddill. j^^^t^ Patonson. Robt. Browne. Willime Dykson. Hable men with horse and harnes. Thomas Browne. Persevalle Lylburn. jobe Gibson. Not able. George Wylkinson. John Kyrspe. Rye. Foreste. Rye. Kyrspe. Able with horse and harnes. Willime Kyrspe. George Browne. THE BORDERLAND. 171 Ichn Why'. George Biokyt. D.iv'e ("yl^son. IFaiitt!/^^ both horse and /tames. SCHARPERTON" — Robt. Clenell. James Pott. Thomas Whetryd. Willme Whetrede. Hable with horse ami harnes. Robt. Wylkinson. George Pole. Pet. Browne. Thomas Wall is. George Care. Wanting both horse and harnes. Bekerton — Willme Snawdon. Robt. Snawdon. Henry Snawdon. Robt. Snawdon. John Snawdon. Wille Snawdon. Pet. Snawdon. Hable with horse and harnes. John Dounsyre. RolH. Dounsyre. Wylhne Snawdon. Not hable, wanting bothe horse and harnes. Farxelawe — Robt. Brome. Andro Swayne. Hable with horse and harnes. Sande Horsyley. Not able. Mekvll Tossox — Wilhne Gallon. John Scharpperlon. John Grene. Willme Scharpperlon. Hable zuitk horse and hams. Jolm Watson. James Morley. Thomas Wylkinson. John Sche]">hyrd. Willie Day. John Sharpperton. Cuthbt. Wellthewe. Willme Taller. Thomes Brone. Not hable, wantinge bothe horse and harnes. ROTin:iii;R\- PARVCH, of the North Sydc of Kokyl. HELliV— Dave Hume. Rog. Gren. Wille Sperman. Rye. Turner. Sander Robynson. Robt. Bullman. Pet. Dychant. Jcjhn Browne. Dd. Browne. Thomas Brone. John Paxton. Leonard Grenc. Gawen Lang. Roland Sleynson. John Edgarc. Ed. Steynson. Ed. Maven. Robt. Brown. Robt. Turner. Ed. Maywhene. Thomas I'"urdc. ROTMEnKRY — Ed. Rycardson. Vmffray Glenwhame. Jnhii liugon. John Atkinson. John Marchei. 172 UPPER COQUETDALE. Thomas Watson. Payt. Thomson. Not able. Rye. Leddell. Jemes Scott. Willme Dave. Robt. Tayller. Thomas Dave. John Vrpethe. liable with horse and harnes. Thropton — Edward Cartington. Gylbt. Cartington. Henry Butemont. Robt. Clark. John Grene. Willme Taller. Ed. Cooke. Hable ivith horse and harnes. Snytter — Ed. Blenk'. Robt. Storer. Robt. Dave. Sand, Watson. Slorre Wasson. John Barker. Willme Storer. Thomas Storer. Robt. Olyvor. Sande Sparke. John Storer. liable tvith horse and harnes. Wharton — Hewe Sparke. Edward Trewyt. John Trewyt. Hable. Ed. Thomson. Hewe Trewyt. Willme Browyr. Not hable. Flotterton — John Rychertson. James Watson. Hable. Ed. Robson. Nycoll Homle. Willme Prangwhorn. Not hable. Krestron — Georg Dychant. Thomas Tode. John Tod. Hable. Robt. Tod. Not able. Hepeli. — Georg Ogle. John Bellton. (jeorg Hope. Hable. Ed. Cok. — Rycardson. Sande Holgell. John Pott. N'ot hable. Wryghyi.l — John Gallon. Hable. Willme Y'ose. Ed. Dychant. Robt. Trewyt. Sande Toode. Not hable. Ev Trewitt — Ed. Gallon. Robt. Gallon. Roger Sperman. Ed. Homel. Robt. Heslope. Hable with horse and harnes. Robt. Spore. Mychell Wellthewe. Not hable. THE BORDERLAND. 173 Lyttell Tossyone — Wyllme R}-chaidson. James Rychardson. Georg Rychardson. Sande Swayne. Hable with horse and harnes. Willme Hommell. Not hable. Neyther Trewvte — Ed. Stoore. Perc. Dennat. John Swayne. Hable -with horse and harnes. Ed. Swayne. Not hable. Cartington — James Sniyihe. Henry Tod. James Wylkinson. John Cragt^. John Wylkinson. Cuthbt. Magge. Hable with horse and harnes. The Forest or Rothbery — John Hall. Thomas Browne. Rye. Lyghton. Habyll with horse and harnes. Thomas Pott, th' elder. Thomas Pote. Roger Huntley. Willme Brodryk. Rynyoiie Brown. Willme Swayne. Habyll men wantyng bothe. Bytellsden — Percevall Selbe. Crystfero Selbe. Cuthbt. Selbe. Olyver Selbe. James Selbe. Willme Davyson. John Schanke. John Robson. Willme Steynson. Willm Wylkinson. John Gray. Ro])t. Davyson. Ed. Trewhate. Perc. Davyson. Hable with horse and harnes, John Gybson. Robt. Nesbit. John Gowrley. John Wylkinson. Georg Gybson. John Robson. Habell men, wantyng bathe horse- and harnes. Clenell — Perc. Clenell. Rog. Clenell. John Selbe. Rog. Brown. Robt. Whyt. Thomas Grene. Ed. Brown. Hable with horse and harness. Willme Gallon. Roland Harbottell. Not able. Newtox — Sande Rede. John Herryson. John Wylkinson. Robt. Wylkinson. Hable with horse and harnes. Harden— Willinc Astaye. Rolle Hell. John Bell. Hable with horse and harnes. FOXOEN — Georg Gibson. Hable. John Scott. Not abic:'"^ '3 Arch. .Kliana, vol. iv, (Old Scries), pp. 165-6-7-5!. 1/4 UPPER COQUETDALE. It will be noticed that most of the men on the muster roll are " Able, with horse and harness," which meant they were fully equipped and armed ready for the field. We learn from a document of 1605 what the arms of the borderers usually consisted of: — "Proclamation shall be made that all inhabiting within Tynedale and Riddesdale, in Northumber- land ; Bewcastledale, Willgavey, the north part of Gilsland, Esk, and Leven, in Cumberland ; East and West Tividale, Liddesdale, Eskdale, Ewsdale, and Annerdale, in Scotland (saving noblemen and gentlemen unsuspected of felony and theft, and not being of broken clans, and their household servants, dwelling within those several places, before recited), shall put away all armour and weapons, as well offensive as defensive, as jacks,24 spears, lances, swords, daggers, steel-caps, hackbuts,25 pistols, plate-sleeves, ^6 and such like ; and shall not keep any horse, gelding, or mare, above the value of fifty shillings sterling, or thirty pounds Scots, upon the like pain of imprisonment. "27 Bows and arrows were also in use, more particularly amongst the English borderers, during the days of border warfare. The Northumbrians were skilled in archery, but the Scots were better supplied with firearms." Other musters there have been in Upper Coquetdale since that of 1538. In 1648 the Royalists of the district rendez- voused at Cartington Castle. The Northumbrian Jacobites, in 17 1 8, mustered their forces on Plainfield Moor. While on the night of the " False Alarm," in 1804, the rallying points of the Coquetdale Rangers were at Rothbury and Netherton. As it bears on the subject of this chapter, we quote the following ballad by the late Mr. Joseph Crawhall, which gives a graphic and rather amusing description of one of those lawless expeditions not at all uncommon amongst our unruly forefathers : — '■'•'Jack — A defensi%'e jacket, quilted with leather. °5 Hackbut— A kind of firearm anciently used. — Jamieson. '^ Plate-sleeves — Armour-plated sleeves. =7 Introduction to Scott's " Minstrelsy of the Border." THE BORDERLAND. 175 A Border Fray in thk Middle Marches (1570), an' what hecam' o' the Meenister. Eigh ! aa aa aa, Eigh ! aa aa aa. -^ Hue an' cry — hoond an' home — ca' to the fray, For the Scots hae been Rotbarrie waie i' the mirk,^' An' left na a galloway, sheepe, hogge, or stirke. Fired a' the haudins', 3° an' harried the Kirk, Au' faur waur then a' ; Oh ! wae ti'll us wae. The Meenister's missin', they've lifted him tae. Eigh ! aa aa aa, Eigh ! aa aa aa. Tell't at the Mercat-cross — follow the fray, Don your plait, 3' soond the bell, kinnle the beaken flame ! Up wi' the brennin strae, 3= loudly the slogan raim^s — Scoor weel the border — we maun hae the cattel hame. Up, lads — awaie. It'll be an ill day ("/in 3-t we get na back beasties an' Meenister tae. Eigh ! aa aa aa, Eigh ! aa aa aa. We're het on the scabbit loons — see hoo they flae, Climmin' yon hill ayont Harbottle craigs ; Noo, lads, aye readie, lay spurs till yer naigs, An' we'll no fash the Warden to touzle^s their craigs. 3* But, Gude save us a' ! Mischance the loons fa', Nae sicht o' the Meenister's 'mang them ava ! '^Eigh !— aa, aa, aa — A gathering cry. =^ Mirk— Dark. '"'i^audins — Holdings, i.e., pele towers and strong houses. 3' Plait — Armour. 3=' Brennin Strae — i.e.. Hot Trod, a wisp of straw or tow mounted on the top of a spear and set on fire and carried through the Border country. Its display was the signal for every man to arm and follow lhc| pursuit on the track of a marauder, the " war path " of the Borderers. — Heslop. 3' Slogan raim — To shout the war cry. Some of the well-known Northumbrian Slogans were " .\ Percy! A Percy!! Thousands for a Percy!" .\ I'cnnykc ! A Fennyke ! ! \ Kennyke ! ! ! A Bulmer ! A Bulmer ! ! ^Gin we get na— If we do not get. 35Touzle — To handle roughly. 3* Their Craigs — Their necks. 176 UPPER COQUETDALE. Eigh ! aa aa aa, Eigh ! aa aa aa. They're catchet reed hancUt, an' noo for the fray, Belch oot yer colyvers, 3' guid men an' trewe. Wow ! that's a scatterer — we hae them noo, An' as ana expackit, the deevils cry " hoo." ^^ Tether the owsen, lads, ah na, they winna stir, Rayther lets tether thae hell kaimins sinister, But-whaurs cor Apostle ? Hoots ! dei'l tak the Meenister !' 37Colyver — A large gun. 3^ Hoo — Cry of surrender. HARBOTTLE CASTLE. 1 77 CHAPTER X. HARBOTTLE CASTLE. The Umfraville lords of Redesdale and Harbottle — Erection of the Castle by Hen. n. — An important Border Fortress — Besieged by the Scots (i 174, 1296, 131 1, 1318) — Park re-stocked with Deer from North Tynedale — Narrow- escape of being razed to the ground by Royal Mandates (Hen. HL and in J332) — Castle damaged Ijy Scots (1351) — Margaret of Scotland at Harbottle (1515) — Birth of a Princess — Survey of 1541 Castle Decayed — A convenient place for a garrison — Soldiers' Pay (1584) — Ten Towns of Coquetdale owing Service to the Castle — Redesdale Men a Trouble to the Wardens — A Capture and a Rescue (1518) — The last Tailbois owner (1541) — Crown Property until Jas. I. grants it to Earl of Dunbar (1604) — The Widdringtons, Clennells, Fenwicke-Clennells — Extent of Castle — View from Castle Mound. THE interesting manor of Harbottle dates from a very remote period, and carries us back to those days when the fair-haired Saxons ruled over the land.^ when probably the mound, on which the ruins of the great feudal castle now stand, was their "moot" — or place of justice. Surrounded by rugged hills and breezy moorlands, and many spots of historic interest within easy distance, Harbottle is nowadays one of the favourite summer resorts for tourists and visitors. Close by flows the river Coquet, with its pools and streams so dear to the angler, or as the poet has it : — " 'Neath Harboltlc's auld castle wa', Aniang the cliffs she boils amain ; Frae rifted rock to woody shaw ; Frae stalwart craig to auld grey stane. Down, spcedin' hameward, she is gane Past lanely Hepple's ruin'd peel ; And wha begins aboon the whins, At Fl'jttcrton may load his creel. "^ ' Harbottle— Har, an army. Harsiiip or Hearship, an armed raid. Har enters into the names of several places in Northumberland, as //a^low-hill, Z/arbottle, Zr^tfrpath (the name of a road dividing the township of Ray and Kirk- whclpington). "//ar is Anglo-Saxon //fr<:, an army, host; herc-hoXQ, abode uf the army ; /«f;-«-palh, road [ux an army." Note by Prof. VV. IV. ij'/w/. — Heslop. ' Coquetdale Fishing Song (1842). 12 178 UPPER COQUETDALE. Harbottle Castle, in days gone by, would doubtless be the central feature in the western division of the vale, for within its walls dwelt the potent Umfraville lords of Harbottle and Redesdale, who ruled their little principality with almost regal powers. Apart from the commanding site on which it stands, amid the wilds of Upper Coquetdale, there cluster around the old grey ruins of Harbottle Castle many thrilling associations, full of interest to all who take pleasure in the history of this northern county. Situated at the very limits of the cultivated portion of the valley, on the verge of a hilly and unfrequented region, as well as being the extreme outpost of the English over against Scotland in that part of the borderland, the castle during the days of border warfare occupied a most important and strategical position — " Whose ponderous grate and massy bar, Had oft rolled back the tide of war." Older than the castle, there had been a stronghold and probably a mote hill like those at Wark and Elsdon, on which the ancient inhabitants held their meetings to settle disputes, and to award justice. Dugdale quotes a charter that tells how the royal franchise of Redesdale, which included Harbottle, was held in Saxon times by Maldred, son of Akman, but as Domesday book does not give the names of the Saxon land holders on this side of the Tees, we lack that minute detail respecting pre-conquest owners, such as the southern counties possess. In 1076, William the Norman gave the lordship of the valley and forests of Redesdale to his kinsman Robert de Umfraville, otherwise Robert cum barba, Robert " with the beard," to be held by the service of defending that part of the country from enemies and wolves, with that sword which King William had by his side when he entered Northumberland. The boundaries of this princely domain included the whole of the parishes of Elsdon and Corsenside, with those parts of the parish of Alwinton and the chapelry of Holystone which lie south of the Coquet, from Harehaugh to Rowhope, and HARBOTTLE CASTLE. 1 79 south of the march between England and Scotland, from Rowhope-burn-head to Coquet-head above Makendon. Of the founder of Harbottle castle there is no uncertainty, for " No sooner had Henry of Anjou resumed possession of Northumberland, than he began to fortify it against Scotland. By a rare exercise of royal prerogative, he erected two castles on ground belonging to private subjects ; with the aid of the whole county of Northumberland and the bishopric of Durham, he built the castle of Harbottle at the head of Coquetdale ; while William de Vesci, now Sheriff of North- umberland, began by his orders to restore in 1158 the castle of VVark-on-Tweed, which had been destroyed by David of Scotland twenty years previously. The site of Harbottle was owned by Odinel de Umfraville, that of Wark by the family of Ros. The donjons of both castles placed in ancient mounds were probably octagonal in outline, with open court- yards in the middle."3 Harbottle castle was built soon after the year 11 57, and the masons had not long left their work before it suffered from hostile attacks, for in 1 174 " the men of Galloway, after wasting Redesdale, appear to have captured the castle of Harbottle."4 During the early part of the thirteenth century Richard de Umfraville began to repair and fortify the castle, but having shortly before — in 1218 — complained that Philip de Ulcotes, who had been a powerful favourite of King John, was building a castle at Nafferton, where no castle had previously existed, to the detriment of his castle and lands of Prudhoe, a writ, in the name of Henry HI., commanded Ulcotes to stay the work. Thereupon Ulcotes revenged himself by obtaining royal letters ordering the destruction of Umfraville's castle at Harbottle. It needed the protection of Hubert de Burgh to prove that Harbottle was not an adulterine stronghold.5 3 Hist, of Northmitberlaud.—Q,. J. Hales, p. 123. *■ Ibid., p. 130. 5 Ibid., ]). 134. l8o UPPER COQUETDALE. This saved the castle from demolition, for it was so strong' in 1296 that "Robert de Ros and the Earls of Athol and Menteith, with a horde of 40,000, besieged the castle of Harbottle for two days in vain, killing the deer in the park." After peace was restored on the border, the park was re-stocked with bucks and does from Tynedale, for on the 5th of October in the same year, the King of Scotland commands the bailiff of North Tyne to give from the woods and parks of John Comyn of Badenah 20 live bucks and 80 does, to Gilbert de Umfraville, wherewith to stock his park of Har- bottle. Robert Bruce, in 131 1, came by Harbottle on his way into Tynedale, and in 13 18 the castle was taken by the Scots and dismantled, but was again speedily restored. Four years after it narrowly escaped being demolished, for in 1322 a treat\' had been entered into between Edward II. and Robert Bruce, one of the conditions being that Harbottle Castle, then held by the Scots, should be delivered to Edward's commis- sioners in their private capacity. If a final peace were not concluded, it was either to be restored to Bruce or to be com- pletely dismantled before the expiration of the truce. When the time came, all hope of peace being at an end, John de Penrith, the constable, was ordered to demolish it with as little delay as possible.^ A writ was served on John de Fenwick„ sheriff of the county, who was ordered to be personally present, along with " Roger de Horsley, Gilbert de Burghden,, and Richard de Emeldon." How the castle fared at the hands of those Northumbrians we are not informed, but they appear to have performed their duty lovingly, for some twelve months after we find it again in the hands of Robert de Umfraville. But in 1351 Scottish warfare had so seriously weakened the defences, that Gilbert de Umfraville set forth, in a petition to the King and Parliament, that it was so much ruined by the wars with the Scots as to be insufficient for the * Jlis^. of Northiimbeiiand. — C. J. Bates, p. 162. HARBOTTLE CASTLE. l8l custody of prisoners, and he therefore desired that all persons taken within the liberty of Redesdale should be kept in Prudhoe Castle, until he could repair that of Harbottle. This request was granted for ten years. Perhaps one of the most interesting events in the annals of Harbottle Castle occurred in 15 15, when it was the residence of Lord Dacre, Warden of the Middle March. Here, on October 7th, 15 15, he received Margaret of Scotland and her husband Angus, and here was born soon afterwards their daughter Margaret, Lady Douglas, mother of Lord Darnley and grandmother of James I. of England. On the i6th of November the Queen and her infant daughter were removed to Cartington Castle, thence to Brinkburn Priory, and on to Morpeth, being carried all the way in a litter by Lord Dacre's servants. Dacre described his situation as " uneaseful and costly, by occasion of the far carriage of everything, and so we were minded to move her Grace to Morpeth as soon as conven- iently she may. Nevertheless, she has a wonderful love of apparel. She has caused the gown of cloth of gold and the gown of cloth of tynsen, sent by Henry,7 to be made against this time, and likes the fashion so well, that she will send for them, and have them held before her once or twice a day to look at. She has within the castle 22 gowns of cloth of gold and silks, and yet she has sent to Edinburgh for more, which have come to-day. She is going in all haste to have a gown of purple velvet, lined with cloth of gold, gown of bright crimson velvet, furred with ermine, three gowns more and three kirtles of satin. These five or six days she has no other mind than to look at her apparel."^ P'requent reference is made in various documents of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as to the utility and condition of Harbottle C'astle. In the list of castles and fortalices of 141 5 it appears as the castle of Sir Robert Umfravillc, thus — 7 Henry \III., her brother. ^ Calendar of State Papers, ii., p. 316. l82 UPPER COQUETDALE, " Castrum de Harbotle — Robtr. Umfrevill Chlr." The castle, at this time, really belonged to Sir Gilbert de Umfraville, the nephew of Sir Robert, Sir Gilbert being at the time in France? with Henry V. The return of border holds made in the reign of Henr}' VIII. (1509), which gives the owners and the garrison in each, informs us that Harbottle Castle is held by Sir George Tailbois, Lord Dacre the governor, and that the garrison consisted of eighty men. About 1538 John Leland, the Royal Antiquary of Henry VIII., briefly describes Harbottle Castle thus: — "Coquet cummithe by herbottell, a goodly castle, and thens to linne briggs, sumtyme of stone, now fallen. Therabout was great buyldinge, but now desolation." The Survey of Border Fori resscs ill i^^t, S3.ys: — "Harbottle Castle in great decay, a very convenient place for to lodge a garrison of 100 horse, for the Kepar of Riddesdale." The report goes on to state " Apon the Southe syde of the ryv' of C'ockett ys a stronge place & metely for the defence of all that countrye as well against the Invasion & Incourses of Scottes in tyme of warre, as for defence of the theftes & spoyles of the Riddesdayle men, standeth the castle of Harbottell within the said country of Ryddesdayle."io During the reign of Elizabeth (1584) the Border Com- missioners drew up a report on the state of the castles, towers, and fortresses in Northumberland, in which is recorded : — " Harbuttle Castell belonginge to her majestye standinge about eight myle south southwest from the towre of Woller aforesaid and within VI myles of Scotlande, decaied for want of reparacions by longe contynuance. This castle or fortresse we thincke to be one of the most fit for the consideracions aforesaid and for rewling the brockill " and disobedient subjectes there to be fullye repaired, the charges of which 5 Arch. ALliana, Vol. xiv., p. I4«. '° Ibid., p. 44. " Brockle — uncertain. — Heslop. HARBOTTLE CASTLE. 1 83 reparacion we esteeme to two hundreth fortye pound.''^^ 'Yhe repairs just mentioned appear to have been carried out shortly after the report, for the garrison at the end of 1584 consisted of a hundred soldiers, horsemen and footmen, besides their officers, whose pay was as follows : — " Captain at 4s. per diem, lieutenant at 2s., ensign at I2d., two " sargents " at I2d. each, the "drom" at I2d., the 100 soldiers at 8d. a piece/'^s Besides this garrison, forty-nine men could be called out from " The ten towns belonging to Harbottle Castle, viz. : — Clennell, 7. Newtowne, 2. Nether Allanton, 3. Parkhead, i. Over Allan- ton, I. Bydeston, 14. Netherton, 5. Farnton, i. Sharperton, 7. Burrodon, 6. Total, 47. Newehall, i. Lyntorigges, i."h The men of Redesdale were at all times a source of trouble to the warden at Harbottle. Coquetdale men were more easily kept in order, probably, from the close proximity of Harbottle Castle and the warden's machinery of pillory and stocks, dungeon and gallows. In 15 18, Lord Dacre arrested ten of the principal chiefs of Redesdale, and having put them in irons within the dungeon of Harbottle Castle, sent for the gaoler and the bailiff of the shire to convey then to Morpeth. Dacre, to prevent a rescue, summoned his Harbottle tenantry, to the number of eighty, to which were added his own household servants. Setting out from Harbottle, the prisoners were safely conve}-ed as far as Rothbury gate, where they were handed over to the gaoler and his escort ; but the prisoners' friends, the sturdy men of Redewater, being apprized of the movement, crossed down the moors bchii.d Simonside, and overtaking the convoy at a straight path in Rothbury forest, killed the bailiff and six of his escort, took the gaoler and four of his men prisoners, and having released their ten kinsmen, fled for refuge into Scotland. In 1541, the last of the Tailbois owners of Harbottle died " Arch. yEliana, Vol. xiv., p. 74. '3 Calendar 0/ Border Papers.— ^z\u, p. 172. '* Ibid., )). 23. 184 UPPER COQUETDALK. without issue, and then the lordship became, by exchange, the propert}' of the crown until 1604, when James 1., " for divers good causes and considerations " granted it to George Home, Earl of Dunbar, from whom it passed to the Howards, thence to the Widdringtons, who sold it to a member of the Clennell family, one of whom bequeathed it to Thomas Fenwick, who took the name and arms of Clennell. The castle and estate are now in the possession of Thomas Clennell Fenwicke- Clennell. After the Union, border fortresses such as Harbottle were happily not required, therefore the modern mansion now known as Plarbottle Castle was built by one of the Widdringtons, who used the old fortress as a quarry. " Some of the border strongholds fell before a royal mandate, for James I., in order to extinguish the memory of past hostilities, proscribed the use of the name Borders and substituted that o^ the Middle Shires, and ordered all places of strength therein to be demolished, excepting the habitations of noblemen and barons, their iron gates to be converted into ploughshares, and the inhabitants to betake themselves to agriculture and the peaceful arts."is Of the extent of Harbottle Castle, a fair idea can be obtained from the ruins existing at the present day. " Built, as we have seen, about 1 160, it had, like most Norman castles a donjon or keep, a barbican or entrance gateway, an inner and an outer bailey, enclosed by curtain walls, which were strengthened by mural towers. Around the keep was a fosse, or ditch, and around the whole enceinte was another deep fosse which was crossed by a draw-bridge Outside the entrance gateway was a barmekyn, an outer defence chiefly for the protection of cattle. On the south side stood the keep, on a conical hill, rising steeply out of the hill on which the other parts of the castle were placed. ... Of small extent is the area on the top, so that the erections there, though high, were never of great '5 Ridpath's Border Hist. , p. 706. HARBOTTLE CASTLE. I 85 extent. According to the survey of 1523 the hall, of which the foundations remain, was 48 feet long and 30 feet broad. , . . The two baileys are overlooked by the keep, the inner one lying towards the north-west, and the outer one to the north-east, and they are still divided from each other b\' a wall, partially ruined, running from the keep to the outer curtain wall. In this part were a round tower and the chapel and the great chamber. . . . Here, too, were the draw-well, the kitchen, the brew-house, the bake-house, and the horse-mill. The draw-well remains, and some portions of the curtain wall are standing on the south and west sides, and the foundations of the whole are traceable. Fragments there are of a tower on the north side, where, probably, the postern was situated, which required an iron gate, 6 feet 9 inches high, and 3 feet 9 inches broad. Fewer remains there are of the outer ward. On the east side stood the barbican, or entrance gateway, whose iron gates were 10 feet 3 inches high, and 9 feet 9 inches broad. A protecting tower was incorporated in the wall north of the gate. The outer wall was six feet thick, and twenty- seven feet high. Within the outer bailey were the stables, with lofts above them which were used as granaries and lodgings for the garrison. Of these buildings, and of the outer wall, there are few traces ; but the moats around the keep, and around the outer wall, are still very distinct. The most prominent remains of the keep are two great masses of masonry, one of which seems to have slidden down the hill out of its place, and the other hangs out of the perpen- dicular on the hill-side."^6. The engraving on next page shows the north-west face of the ruins of the keep, with its "oilets," or arrow-holes, through which there has doubtless whizzed many a grey goose wing. From the summit of the castle mound a fine view is obtained of the surrounding country, with its numerous places of interest. On the north are the green hills of the '« ///s/. li.N.C, Vol. vi., p. 434. 1 86 UPPER COQUETDALE. Cheviots, traversed by " Clennell Street," an ancient trackway leading over Bloodybush Edge and Windy Gyle into Scot- land. Right in front the rocky bluffs of " Gallow Law," the old place of execution for the manor of Alwinton, frowns over the village as in days of yore ; and Lord's Seat, a massive green-backed hill of 1,300 feet, guards the valley on the west ; while on the southern banks of the Coquet is the " Swire," an old road over the moors out of Redewater, leading down a slack into the valley of the Coquet ; while the " Drake Stone," a huge sandstone rock some thirty feet high, computed to weigh about 2,030 tons, and " Cauldlaw Kip " form the rocky summit of Harbottle Crag, with the long heathery ridge of zrij-^v^-.' ■»^/- mmmmmmsS::;-^mig:^ 'j-Ttt- ^^lu.^::^j. ':OXm^^ UjM-^, " . IB/ " Gallow Edge " stretching south-east, the place of execution for the Harbottle lordship. Closer in, the Coquet is seen winding along the northern base of the mound, where a sharp bend in the stream is locally known as the " Devil's Elbow." On the slopes beyond the river are the " Camp hills," the probable camping ground of the Scots when besieging the castle, a number of cannon balls having from time to time been found in the northern face of the escarpment. " Park House," in the same locality, denotes the deer park of the Umfravilles. As we gaze upon the ruins of Harbottle Castle, and see how extensive its defences have been, we can more easily harbottlp: castle. 187 understand the great importance attached to this old border fortress — and can almost picture to ourselves those motley bands of border warriors — following the red banner of the Umfravilles passing through the barbican — bent on Scottish raid or border fight — watched perchance by loving eyes from the lofty turrets of the keep as they disappear amongst the hills beyond Alwinton, Clennell, or Biddleston, while the crumbling walls around truly tell us : — " Those martial terrors long were fled, that frown'd of old around its head ; The battlements, the turrets grey, Seem'd half abandoned to decay ; On barbican, and keep of stone, Stern Time the foeman's work had done." l88 UPPER COQUETDALE CHAPTER XI. HARBOTTLE VILLAGE. Picturesque village — Old channel of the Coquet — Village and villagers in feudal times — Rentals and Services (i245-i3o8-i6i8)~Crown lands (1568) — Ancient tenures — Freeholders ( 1663- 1710- 1715- 1747- 1774) — Names of villagers (1828) — Harbottle of to-day — Health and longevity by the late Dr. Richardson — Census returns from 1801 — " Harbottle Castle" the modern mansion of the Fenwicke-Clennells — Old feudal rights of the Umfravilles — Their Prison — Gallows — Assizes — Fairs and Weekly Markets at Har- bottle — Harbottle Fair of the past — Harbottle Lough and its legend— Pine Trees — Heronry — Nature and Nature's Music — Pleasures of Country Life. BENEATH the shelter, and on the sunny side, of the castle mound lies the little picturesque village of Harbottle ; its cottages and gardens, its neat Presbyterian Church and Town Hall, with the charming mansion of the Clennells standing amid its well-kept pleasure grounds on the banks of the Coquet, present a pleasing picture of an old English village. The village itself is supposed to stand on the margin of the old channel of the Coquet. The conformation of the valley is best seen from the hill above the Drake Stone, where the original course of the river can be traced. Hugh Miller, in his "Geological Memoir" (p. 120) tells us: — "But the most interesting change of channel in Coquetdale is at Harbottle, in the main valley. The buried channel there lies parallel with and beside, or perhaps underneath, the village. The curious loop of the river, known as the Devil's Elbow, is a scoop in the bank almost at the very point at which the modern gorge leaves the ancient valley, and is doubtless caused by the softness of the deposits that occupy the latter." During the early centuries of the Umfraville occupation of HARBOTTLE VILLAGE. 1 89 Harbottle, the huts of the lord's villans would, in all probability, cluster under the protecting walls of the castle, on the site where the modern village of Harbottle now stands. Of this early village or of its occupants few records exist. " In 1245, it was found, after the death of Gilbert de Umfreville, the famous baron, that, in the manor of ' Hyrbotl,' there were 408 acres and 3 roods of land, worth, at rack rent, 5^ an acre. Item. 983^ acres of meadow, of which, 20 at rack rent, were worth 6d an acre, and 78^, worth 2d. Item. Two mills, worth the yearly rack rent of £1" us. 4d. Item. A borough, ^ which, with the herbage, yielded a rent of £^ I2s. od." In 1308 it is recorded: — "The Castle of Harbottle, which is worth nothing annuall}- within the enclosed ground, because there are great and lofty buildings there, which take much to support them. Also, there is there a certain park, containing in circuit about one league, in which are wild beasts ; the sale of the underwood of which yields nothing, but the agistment^ of it is worth 6s. 8d. Also, there is a certain borough called Harbottle, the rent of which is worth £2." Again, a valuation of the lands which Robert Umfraville, late Earl of Angus, held in capite of the King, made in 1331, says : — " The site of the castle of Harbottle, which is worth nothing. A certain borough there at £2 13s. lod. A certain plot of ground at Operesfield, near Herbotel, 6^- . , . and one bovate of land in Wolrig, near Harbottle, 5s."3 In 1523, at the command of Lord Dacre, a number' of armed men were stationed in most of the villages on the borders " as well as for the defence of the said border, as to the annoysance of the Scotts."4 The township of Harbottle undertook to board and lodge eighteen of these soldiers at a charge of two-and-eightpence a week. They were lodged ' The village of Harbottle. ' Agistment is payment for the feeding of cattle. 3 \\oAi^9,ox\% Northumberlattd, I'ait II., vol. !., p. 107. ^ Ibid., Part II., vol. ii., p. 476. I90 UPPER COQUETDALE. with "Ann Lighten and Hew Grene," two housholders in Harbottle at that time. The "Feodary's Book" of lo EHzabeth (1568) records "that the castle, manor, and vill of Harbotle, Yerduppe, Hedsope, Hallyston, Kestreon, Wedhouse (Wood- houses), Grysles (Grasslees), Wedsay (Woodside), Hyrnehouse (Ironhouse), Ley Carike (Low Carrick), and other manors in the 'province' of Redesdale, were Crown lands." The Harbottle Rentals of 161 8 give some interesting details relating to Harbottle, shewing the names of the villagers at that date, as well as field and place-names. Freeholders. Willm Browne of Harbotle, for a close called Hopperclose, late John Wilkinsons, iiijd. Willm Browne, for the moyety of a pcell of ground in Harbotle, called the Hopperclose, and another pcell called the Stonehouse, late Wilkinsons, iiijd." At Martilmas. HARBOTTLE TowNE, Andrewe Routher- forth iijs vjd ob. John Swayne iijs ijd ob. Thomas Gibson xviijd. The said Thomas Gibson xix^- George Trumble xvjd. Ralphe Smyth xiiijd. Willm Gibson ijs- George ■Carre xs iiijd q. Thomas Gibson, junior xxijd ob qd- Alexander Routherforth ijs v^- The said Alexander ijs vijd. Laurence . . . xvijd- Mabell Browne vd- Robert Swayne ijs. Henry Browne iijs jjd ob. The foresaid Robert Swayne ijs iiijd- George Swayne xvd- Robert Browne xixd- Anne Smyth iijs ijd ob. Alice Wabye ijs- John Wabye xxjd- Henry Browne ijs viijd- The said Henry Browne xiiijd. sa m liiijs ijd. SOPPETHAUGHE, the said Tenants of Harbottle, for pcell of Soppothaughe somer pasture, iijs iiijd. 5 It is interestmg to note the change that gradually came over the modes of tenure by which lands were held by the " villans " of an overlord. " The manorial system, on which the social organization of every rural part of England rested, had divided the lands for the purpose of cultivation and of internal order, into a number of large estates ; a part of the soil was usually retained by the owner of the manor as his s Arch. ALliana, vol. ii., o.s., pp. 316-7. HARBOTTLE VILLAGE. 191 demesne or home-farm, while the remainder was distributed amongst tenants, who were bound to render service to their lord. "6 Norden, who wrote in 1607, says, " Is not every manor a little commonwealth, whereof the tenants are the members, the land the bulke, and the lord the head ? " The first step towards the creation of regular tenants and small freeholders, was probably the granting of leases, and the commutation of personal labour, for money rent, when the villans who had held their acres by the labour-rent of cultiva- ting the lord's demesne, began to pay an equivalent in money. In some cases the land virtually became the property of the villan himself, by the payment of a lump sum. Another class arose who held their farms as customary tenants on the old law of gavel-kind ; an example of this custom will be found in the chapter on Woodhouses. In 1663, Sir Edward Widdrington was the owner of the castle lands as well as of several manors in the neighbourhood of Harbottle, while in the village of Harbottle there were three freeholders — Cuthbert Rutherford, William Pott, and John Smith. The names of the Harbottle Freeholders as given below are taken from the Northumberland Poll Books — William Potts (1710). John Rutherford, Joseph Potts, Ralph Smith (171 5). Thomas Common, Percival Clennell, Esq. (1747;. John Horsley, James Kilpatrick, William Marshall, Thomas Pitloe, Gideon Pitloe, Thomas Willis (1774). The Harbottle Directory of 1828 records the follow- ing names: — George Bolam, shoemaker ; Jane Clark, victualler, *' Unicorn " ; Thomas Clennell, Esq., Harbottle Castle ; John Common, victualler, "Ship"; Thomas Lamb, surgeon ; Thomas Xcsbit, shoemaker ; Rev. James Patterson, Presbyterian Minister; Gideon i'itloh, grocer anrl draper; Richard Thompson, shopkeeper and tailor.7 Harbottle village of to-day consists of two irregular rows ' Green's Hist, of Eni^land. 7 Parson and White, vol. ii., p. 477. 192 UPPER COQUETUALE. of houses which stand on each side of the public road. The two most prominent buildings are the Town Hall, at the east end of the village — which, by the kind permission of Mr. Fenwicke-CIennell, is used for public meetings — and the Presbyterian Church at the west end. There are also the Parish Schools, the village inn, several comfortable lodging houses for visitors, a Police Office, and the Post Office, of which Miss Herbert has been the respected postmistress for upwards of twenty-five years. There is also a resident doctor, an immense boon to the inhabitants of a wide district, extending from Holystone to the Scotch border. Dr. Bedford is the present medical gentleman, a great part of whose practice — lying as it does amongst the shepherds of the Cheviots, with whom he is very popular — entails many a long and lonesome journey. Pleasant enough it is on a fine summer's day to ride over the hills, but in the winter months it requires no small amount of courage to face the driving snow, amid the trackless wilds of Upper Coquet. For many years Dr. Richardson, a man of superior intellect, was the medical adviser for Harbottle and the district. The keeping of greyhounds was one of the doctor's hobbies, and he had a monument — a couchant figure of his famous dog " King Death " — erected in the garden in front of " Waterloo House," his residence at Harbottle, which bore the following inscription : — "KING DEATH, Winner of the Waterloo Cup, Waterloo Plate, &c., Born i8th Feb., 1862. Died i6th Dec, 1872. Flere et nieininisse 7-elictnvi estP Dr. Richardson wrote the following letter to the " Times '* some years ago, on the health and longevity of the population of Upper Coquet, in which he made some valuable and interesting statements : — " The large parish of Alwinton with Holystone is situated upon the southern slopes of the Cheviots, includes the upper vale of the Coquet, and extends HARBOTTLE VILLAGE. I93 about 20 miles in length, and several in breadth, comprising 44.472 acres. The occupations of the inhabitants are almost equally divided between the tending of sheep and the culti- vation of cereals, upon lands which rest in nearly similar proportions upon freestone and porphyry. During the }-ear 1874, six deaths occurred in this parish, being at the rate of 47 per thousand. This mortality was lower than usual ; during the previous ten years, the number was 106, an annual average of yo per thousand. Of these 106 deaths there were 16 between 70 and 80 years of age, and curiously 29 above 80 years, considerably more than one quarter of the total deaths occurring in people above 80 years old, or 273'6 per thousand. Within two miles of my house I know nine octogenarians, and a tenth, our parish clerk, died last week at the age of 83. In this village of Harbottle, with 120 inhabitants, there were 37 children under 14 years of age, and during the last twenty years no child has died, and for nearly four years no one until the case just mentioned. I may add another instance of the large proportion of children existing and their immunity from death. .A farmer in this parish, and his three shepherds who have occupied their present situations nearly thirty years, have among them 47 children, and not a single death has occured in these families. The inhabitants have abundance of plain substantial food, excellent water, good residences as a rule, and regular but not severe work in a pure bracing atmosphere, and are highly intelligent, and generally abstemious." The census returns (jf Harbottle t(jwnsiiip shew, in common with other rural districts, a gradual decrease in the population: 1801 — 128. 1811 — 152. 1821 — 181. 1831 — 165. 1841 — 162. 1851 — 159. 1861 — 159. 1871 — 170. 1881 — 159. 1891^ — 113. 1901 — 119. In the centre of the village an elegant fountain, erected by public subscription, in 1880, to the memory (jf Mrs. \\ V. Clenncll, contains the following inscription: — 13 194 UPPER COQUETDALE. " Mrs. Clennell, of Ilarbottle Castle, died Nov. 17th, 1879. " She devoted the powers of an active mind, the impulses of a generous heart, and the industry of a busy life, to the welfare and happiness of the inhabitants of Harbottle and the neighbourhood. "To perpetuate her name and virtues, they erected this fountain. August, 1880." The Harbottle Castle of modem times, built by the Widdringtons in the early part of the seventeenth century, and which has since been much enlarged and beautified, is the charming seat and residence of Mr. Thomas Clennell Fenwicke-Clennell. The mansion is delightfully situated on the banks of the Coquet, surrounded by ornamental pleasure grounds and extensive plantations. The sight of this fine old Enp-lish mansion and its environments of hill and woodland at once attracts the attention, and excites the admiration of the traveller as he approaches Harbottle from the east, bringing to his mind those well-known lines of Mrs. Hemans: — " The stately homes of England, How beautiful they stand ! Amidst their tall ancestral trees. O'er all the pleasant land." The squire of Harbottle, who gracefully performs the duties devolving upon him as a county gentleman, keeps a pack of foxhounds, is a Justice of the Peace, Deputy-Lieutenant for the County, and in 1902 filled the important and honourable office of High Sheriff for the County. He is a member of the old Northumbrian clan of Fen wick, whose slogan — A Fenwyke ! A Fenwyke ! ! A Fenwyke ! ! ! — was never heard in vain. " Many border battlefields bear witness to their deadly strife with their Scottish neighbours. The Fenwyke of Northum- berland were a fierce, resolute, and warlike band ; and not only sustained the shock of many a Scottish inroad, but were ever ready to avenge the real or supposed wrongs of the English by a furious raid into the territories of the enemy. In the ballad, The Raid of the Reidswire, we meet with the following verses on this warlike clan: — HARBOTTLE VILLAGE. 195 We saw come marching ower the knows, Five hundred Fenwicks in a flock, With jack and speir, and bowes all bent. And warlike weapons at their will." The House of Percy ever ranked the " Fearless Fenwicks " amongst the most constant and valiant of its retainers. In border warfare the banner of the gorged phoenix in the burning flame always appeared with that of the silver crcscetit.^ The Umfraville lords of Harbottle at an early period possessed, and exercised, almost unlimited power over their extensive lordship of Redesdale and Harbottle. The courts of the franchise were held at Harbottle Castle, where it also had its gaol and a gallows. Besides which, they claimed "waif, infangenthef and outfangenthef,9 and free chase and assize of bread and ale, a market at Harbottle every week on Tuesdays, and a fair on the eighth of September, ^° with the profits arising from these privileges." A hill to the south of Harbottle, known as " Gallow Edge," is a reminder of the baron's right of capital punishment, and the last generation could remember the village stocks standing on the bank in front of the " Unicorn Inn," and of the squire — Thomas Clennell — holding a court every Monday morning in the large room at the " Unicorn." The weekly market ceased long ago, and the fair has been discontinued for several years. Harbottle fair was in days gone by the great event of the year in that upland district, at which all the farmers and shepherds out of Coquet and Redewater foregathered, and not only were large numbers of hill sheep and cattle sold, but many other transactions of * Denham Tracts, p. 126. 'Infangenthef — " A i)rivilcge to pass judgiiicnt upon any theft commilled within the jurisdiction of the lords of certain manors by their own servants, as ^)«//a«^(?«/^(?/" signified the like liberty when theft was committed by a stranger." — Ileslop. '" In the early jwrt of the last century there were two fairs held at llarbollle, July 8th and September 19th. " llo<]gson's JVorf/itif/ider/atid, Part 11., vnl. i., p. 25. I-9<3 UPPER COQUETDALE. sale and barter, there took place. But Harbottle fair served another purpose most congenial to the border men ; it afforded a convenient opportunity, and was a favourite time, for the settlement of personal and family grudges, therefore many were the free fights that took place between the men of Rede and the men of Coquet. It is told that one very quiet Harbottle Fair Day, Willie Herdman, a Redewater man, evidently out of patience at the pacific state of affairs, was heard to exclaim as he paraded down the village street " Sic a fair ! here we are ! its eleven o'clock i' the fornyun an' nivver a blow struck yet!" The ancient custom of "riding the fair " was also duly observed, when the Duke of North- umberland's ^^ bailiff — who, at the period of which we are speaking, was one \\'ill Robson of Over Acres Cottage, in Redesdale — accompanied by the Duke's piper, a retinue of farmers, and others attending the fair, perambulated the boundaries of the village and read the proclamation, which was generally prefaced by Will the bailiff announcing in an authoritative tone of voice " Wait ! till this paper he's read.'^ The fair having been " called," the company repaired to the two hostelries the " Unicorn " and the " Ship," where refresh- ments were provided ad libitiivi at the expense of the lord of the manor. The field known as " The Fair Ground " lies at the base of the hill between the Manse and a fir plantation, through which a footpath leads up past the Drake Stone to Harbottle Lough, a lonely eerie tarn in the hollow of the hills — a stretch of long heather and sphagnum marks an old extension of the lake. The west end of the lough is packed with a dense growth of buckbean, horsetail, and rushes. The water is always pure and very cold — so cold that it was said to be certain death to attempt to sv/im across. We, however, know of several who have performed the feat and are still ali\-e to tell the tale. A number of large round blocks of sandstone is to be seen lying about on the top of '^ Lord of the Manor. HARBOTTLE VILLAGE. 1 97 the hill ; these are rejected mill-stones, which puzzle strangers very much as to their origin. Tradition says there was once a scheme on foot to drain the lough, but on the workmen proceeding to the hill top beyond the Drake Stone, they were much alarmed, and forthwith fled on hearing the following warning, uttered in sepulchral tones, issuing from the depths of the dark mountain tarn : — " Let Alone ; Let Alone ! Or a'U droon Harbottle, An' the Peels An' the bonny Ilallystone." In the dense pine woods below are seen the nests of the heron, for Harbottle is one of the few places in Northumber- land that possesses a heronry -,^3 here they nest among the fir trees, usually one nest in a tree. Frequently the quarrelsome birds fight for the ownership of the tree, and on one occasion an expelled pair left the heronry and built their nest on a tree in the park in front of Harbottle Castle. The village of Harbottle stands in the midst of surroundings, the favourite haunts of birds and animals not commonly met with, at least in such numbers in the lower parts of the valley. We ourselves, when staying overnight in the little village, have, during the early hours of the morning, listened to the scream of the heron from her lofty perch amid the firs, the hooting of the owl in the ivy, the snappish bark of the fox prowling amongst the brackens on the hill side, the soft cooing of the cushat in the wood, and the shrill cry of the whaup, mingled with the deep baying of the foxhounds in their kennels beyond the castle, with many another chord of nature's music, so dear to the lover of country life ; or as the poet expresses it : — " The fall of waters and the song of birds, And hills that echo to the distant herds ; Are luxuries excelling all the glare The world can boast, and her chief fav'iitcs share." '' .Mr. William Davison, gamekeeper at Harbottle, kindly informs me there are twenty ne.sts in the heronry this year (190;). 198 UPPER COQUETDALE. CHAPTER XII. HARBOTTLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Established about 17 13 — Meetings held in dwelling house, on site of Cherry Tree Cottage — First Meeting-house built (1756) — Minister resides at Woodhall (1736-44) — Origin of Congregation — Scottish element — Covenanters in Coquetdale and Redesdale — Rev. A. H. Drysdale on Presbyterianism in Northumberland — Foundation Stone of New Church laid in 1854 — Opened in 1855— Rev. John Scott present Pastor, Office-bearers — The Manse — List of Ministers (1713-1903) — Extracts from Church Records (1736-91) — Quaint Entries — Curious Church Accounts — Ba]Dtismal Registers — Place- names — Local Family Names — Public Notices — Primitive Recipe for Cough — A Harbottle Rhyme. HARBOTTLE Presbyterian congregation was first estab- lished about the year 171 3, and was then known as "The Protestant Dissenting^ Congregation of Harbottle."^ The members at that time met for worship in a dwelHng- house which stood on the site of Cherr\' Tree Cottage. Judging from various documentary evidence, it would appear that, between 1748 and 1759, the congregation had left their old place of worship, and it was probably then 3 that they built their first meeting-house, which was a plain, square building, with a thatched roof, having eight windows and two doorways in the south front, according to the usual ' "Originally, in England, the terms 'Puritan,' 'Precisian,' 'Presbyterian,' though not synonymous, were applied to the same ecclesiastical party." — History of the Presbyterians in England, p. 4, A. H. Drysdale. -' "Tlie Protestant Dissenting Congregation of Harbottle, County of North- umberland and Diocese of Durham, commonly known by the name of the Scotch Church in that place, has existed as a distinct congregation of Dissenters for upwards of one hundred years. Their first minister was a Mr. Bell, ordained among them before they had any house built for public worship. No register appears to have been kept during his ministry, or it cannot be found." The above is from an entry in the Harbottle Baptismal Register, by the Rev. James Paterson, who was minister at Harbottle, 1811-1846. 3 "There is in the village a Presbyterian Chapel, which was built in 1756, and is now under the ministry of the Rev. James Paterson." — Parson and White, Vol. ii., p. 475 (1828). HARBOTTLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. I99 " Meeting-house" style of architecture in vogue at that period. This building served the congregation until 1834, when it was taken down, and the more ecclesiastical-looking edifice of to-day erected on, or near to, the same site. A document, dated Sept. 8th, 1748, refers to " the Meeting- house" thus: "Know all men by these presents that I, William Richardson, late of Cartington Mill, and now of Grange Mill, in the Count}' of Northumberland, Miller. Having a Right Title Interest and Privilege of and Into the Tenth part of the Meeting-house of Harbottle, and proportionately to all pewes, seats, and other the privileges that belong or appertain unto the same tenth part of that Meeting-House. Sold to George Scott, Minister of the Gospel in Harbottle, for £T) 10 O. Sep. 8, 1748." The second document, of December 27th, 1759, speaks of ''the Old Meeting:" "This is to testifie to all concerned that I, Mathew Lenox, have sold to William Marshall, Tailor, in Harbottle, m}- part and full share of the Old Meeting of the Dissenting Congregation of Harbottle, for one pound twelve shillings sterling money, and that I make over to the said William Marshall my right, and do give up all pretensions and claims of it to him. And further, that my son, Edward Lenox, shall give up with and sign away the right of the same. In witness whereof I here subscribe my name. (Signed) (Signed) Andr. Mader, witness. Matthew Leno.x. John Riddell. Edward Leno.x." The third, entitled a "Deed of Transfer," June 26th, 1760, describes the property as " Formerl)' a dwelling-house, but hath been lately used and enjoj'ed as a mccting-house for a Congregation of I'rotestant Dis.senters." Then follow the names of ten persons, evidently members of the Congregation, in whom the jjropert}' may have been vested, ending with two names ]jri)babl\' of the new owners. 200 UPPER COQUETDALE. "James Burne, of Kidlandlee, gentleman4 Geo. Henderson, Barrow Burn, husbandman Matthew Lennox of Hartside, yeoman William Marshall, Byegate Hall, gentleman William Burne, ffarnham, gentleman James Chrisp, Flotterton, husbandman Thomas Robson of Northfield-head, husbandman Andrew Huggon, Makendon, husbandman John Potts, Clinch, yeoman Robt. Stott, Whitechesters, Roxburghshire, husbandman on the one part, and William Marshall of Harbottle, taylor Ninian Bell of Holystone, dyer on the other part." We had for some time been under the impression that the origin of the Harbottle Congregation was due to the influx of those Scottish Covenanters who during the storm of persecu- tion that raged so violently on the Scottish side of the borders towards the end of the seventeenth century, sought refuge amongst the hills of Northumberland. Peden's Pyke, a prominent hill in Redesdale, is named from the famous preacher Alexander Peden, a zealous adherent to the Covenanting cause, who, when a refugee in Northumberland, held meetings on its heathery slopes. William Veitch, another eminent minister and leader of the Covenant, lived for some years at Fallowlees, a remote spot on the moors south of the Simonside hills, in the parish of Rothbury, where he held conventicle meetings. The preaching of those earnest, strong-minded men must have exercised a great influence upon the people around them, and would no doubt largely increase the followers of the Presbyterian form of worship in the district. It will also be observed from the extracts we give from the earlier records of the Harbottle Congregation how much the Scottish element prevailed, both in the number * "Sir Burn" of Kidlandlee. HARBOTTLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 201 of members joining from over the border, and in the frequent visits from Scotch Presbyterian ministers. But since reading the Rev. A. H. Dr}'sdale's admirable " History of the English Presbyterians " — from whose pages the following extract is taken — we must admit the logic of his argument. " North- umberland," says Mr. Dr\'sdale, " has long been the most Presbyterian county of England. To this northern border Presbyterianism retreated when overthrown elsewhere, and here it chiefly entrenched itself and continued to hold its own, when the rest of the country seemed almost unaware of the existence of such a system in its orthodox form on English soil. Proximity to Scotland does not suffice to explain how religious life and methods in Northumberland have been to so large an extent moulded by Presbyterian influences. Presby- terianism was no recent upstart there, and no mere intruder from the North. Its venerable career and associations, how- ever chequered, give it a right to be considered a native plant, indigenous to this soil ; and those who mingle with the North- umbrian Presbyterians are soon made aware how quickly they resent the idea of their own Presbyterianism being in any sense "Scotch," either of recent importation or of foreign development. The Ministers were largely Scotch, or Scotch trained ; but the Congregation were English, with Scottish settlers worshipping with them. "5 The foundation stone of the present church was laid on the sixteenth of y\ugust, 1854, by "James C. Stevenson, Junior, Esq., of Laygate."'^ The ministers present at the ceremony were the Rev. Samuel Cathcart, pastor of the Congregation, Rev. Duncan Lennie of Glanton, Rev. James Anderson of Morpeth, and the Rev. James Blythe of Branton. 5 Hist, of the Presbyterians in England. — A. H. Drysdale, p. 567. * Mr. James Cochrane Stevenson (son of the late James Stevenson, St. Rollox •Chemical Works, (Glasgow) who was afterwards, for twenty years, M.I'. for South Shields, is a gentleman well known on Tyneside for his lil)eral-minded generosity. Mr. Steven.son has left the north, and now resides in the south of England. — Ex inform. .Mr. J. .M. Moore, Harton Hall, South Shields. 202 UPPER COQUETDALE. There was also a large gathering of the members of the Congregation and other friends. The new church, which contains 500 sittings, was opened for public worship on Thursday, Jul}' 12th, 1855, by the Rev. Alex. Munro of Manchester. A public meeting was afterwards held, presided over by the Rev. S. Cathcart, when the ministers whose names are recorded above, took part in the proceedings. During the course of the evening a tea was provided for all present, by the following ladies, the record of whose names may be of interest to local readers : — Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Cathcart, Mrs. Dodds, Mrs. Crozier, Mrs. Grey, Miss Robertson, Miss Dodds^ Mrs. Davison, Miss Hedley, Miss Oliver, Mrs. Turnbull, Mrs. Chisholm, and Miss Burns. The opening services were con- tinued on the following Sunday by the Rev. John Purvis of the Free Church, Jedburgh. The Rev. John Scott, the present highly esteemed minister, has for upwards of thirty-two years been pastor of the Congregation. The elders to-day are : — Messrs. Andrew Crammond, Robert Cowans, Wm. T. Davison, Thos. Rutherford, Thos. Dagg, Wm. Kirkwood,. James Rutherford. Those who know Harbottle will remember the Manse,, standing within its pleasant garden, encircled by its green meadow-lands — under the sheltering heights of Harbottle Crag and the Drake Stone, with the avenue of pine trees beyond — the very picture of comfort and cheerfulness, where a kindly welcome awaits all comers. At what date the present Manse became the property of the Congregation we have not been able to ascertain, but we can gather from the church records that George Scott, who was minister from 1736 until 1755, resided for the first eight years of his pastorate at Woodhall, a hamlet about a mile from Harbottle.^'*- The early records of Harbottle and its register of baptisms *A Since the above was written, Mr. Scott kindly informs us that the site on which the Manse stands, was purchased from the late Mr. Walter Selby of Biddleston, June 29, 1846. Previous to that date there was no Manse. t-l o < S! •vtl;.^ HARBOTTLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 203 are contained in two small volumes. These are of great interest, and of infinite value to the student of local history, for in their pages are found the famil)- names of the dalesmen who lived in the district during the eighteenth century, and the quaint entries throw a light, not to be found elsewhere, on the social condition of the people ; their occupations and customs, man}' of which are now entirely obsolete. The records have apparently been kept on odd sheets of paper, and then bound up in their present form ; therefore the entries, with some exceptions, do not come in chronological order. Mixed up with the register of baptisms are scraps of all sorts of information and curious memoranda. Several of the entries are found on the backs of hand-written public notices that appear to have been affixed to the doors of the Meeting-house, and afterwards used by the minister and his office-bearers for their notes and accounts. The names of the Presbyterian Ministers given below have been gathered from various sources, but chiefly from the records of the congregation : James Bell, 17 13. George Scott, 1736. Robert Trotter, 1755. Madder, 1761. James Murra)-, 1768. William Lauder, 1799. Gavin T. Hamilton, 1809. James Paterson, 181 1. Samuel Cathcart, 1846. John Scott, 1871. The first three entries tell of the coming of George Scott in 1736, in which year the records begin. " 1736, Nov. 14, to a Lad that brought 2 Letters from Branton about Mr. Scott's tryals b}- order, o"'- O"^''- G^'-" " Mr. George Scott was ordained at Ilarbottle, Dec. ye 7th, being Tuesda)-, 1736, by Mr. Thos. Willis, Minr. at Hranton, who preached the ordination Sermon, he also ga\c the charge. Ministers who imposed hands besides Mr. Willis were: — Mr. Jas. Chisolm, Minr. at I'iidhojjccrag. Mr. Jas. Oliver, Minr. at Framlington. Mr. Hugh Kenned}', Minr. at Cavers. Mr. Wm. Turnbull, Minr. at Abb(;tsrulc." J04 UPPER COQUETDALE, " 1736. Begun to sing the 1st Psal. in the meeting house at Harbottle, Dec. 12, 1736, being the first Sabath after Mr. Geo. Scot was ordained." " May 10, 1737. Read a testimonial from Walter Grey for himself and family, subscribed and written by appointment of the Session of the Parish of Inveresk, subscrd. by Mr. John Smith, Minr."7 " 1737. Jail- ye 9, Thos. Bell for a half-hour Glas to New Castle, o o 6." "Jan. 22, For nails when the Glas Case was put up for my own seat, o o o}4-" " May 22, to Sandy Young by the Meetings order for the Glas frame, o i 6, o i 4."^ " ^737, March 13, to a poor man by Mr. Scot's order, I penny." " ^737) July 13, for Drink when the meeting house was thatched, o i 6." "July 16, for tackets to Andrew Burn for the meeting house windows, o o 0-2." " Aug. 24, for lock to the meeting house door, 1/6." "Oct. 10, for a gallon of Drink to the Woodhall,9 o o 10." " Oct. 16, for a quart of Drink and a Penny Loaf, o o 5d." " Oct. 28, for Drink at the Laying of the Steps,io o o 8d." 7 At the present day, when a member of a Presbyterian congregation removes out of one district into another, it is usual to obtain from their minister what they term "their lines," which they hand over to the pastor of the congregation they intend to join. ^ Preaching by the "hour glass " was very common in the days when watches were scarce and clocks not easily obtained. The glass was generally placed on a frame near the pulpit, so that the preacher could watch the progress of the sand from one bulb to the other, and thus regulate the length of his sermon. 9 Probably for refreshment for the men when some work was being done at the Woodhall, then the residence of the minister. '° There were scarcely any bridges in those days, and we have no doubt the frequent entries, "for drink at the laying of the steps," refers to the placing of .stepping-stones in the Coquet. "Drink" to workmen is a common entry in all Church accounts at this period. IIARBOTTLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 205 " Dec. 30, to Thos. Common for mending the Window- Board, 003; Pins for the Linen, 00 i." The order of the Seats in the Meeting house, July 21, 1737, North side, numb, (i) Wm. and Jas. Bell, Peg Camel," in Alenton, Mary Robson, m Harbottle. 2. Edwd. Robson in Battleshiel haugh, Mark Armstrong, Betty Miller, Peels, Margt. Davyson, Alenton, 5 to sit there. 3. Jas. Broady, in Hepell. 4. John Robson, in Peels. 5_ James Trumell, Reedlees. 6. John Robyson, Newhall. 7. Joh. Cuningham, Wm. Henderson. 8. Jas. Burn, in Peels. 9. Tho. Sanderson, Edge houses. 10. Geo. Potts, Peels. 11. P^dward Potts, Carshope. 12. Tho. Henderson, Barrow burn. 13. Jas. Stevenson, Linbridge." " Sabaths when there was no Sermon — Jan. 16 (at) Fallstone. Sep. 18 (at) Wooler. Feb. 27 Birdhop. Cr., Sac. Oct. 30 Scotland. June 5 Birdhopcraig, Sacra. Now 27 Wooler. July 3 Branton, Sacra. 1738.- Feb. 26 Branton, Sacra. July 2 Branton, Sacra. Mar. 26 Newcastle. Sep. 17 Bellingham." May 14 Wooler. " TESTIMONIAL.S RECEIVED," " Test : from John Heymers, a single person at Craig Shiel, dated at Jedb(urgh), Dec. 27, 1737, by order of ye last session." "Test: from Tho. Crosier and his family at Brownrig, subscd. at Hindhope, July 3, 1739, by Wm. Hall and Tho. Thomson, I-llders at Oxenam." " Peg Camel — Margaret Campbell. 2o6 UPPER COQUETDALE. "1738, Oct. ye 15, to Peg Miller in Harbottle, by Mr. Scott's order, oH'- i*- o^l-" "July 3, 1739. Given by Mr. Scot, seven pounds, which he collected from the Congregation of Harbottle, with what he gave himself, for building a Meeting house at Framlington and at Branton, to Mr. James Oliver, Minister at Framlington." "1739, May 17, to Mary Robinson, for bread before the rest came, O o 2." " May 19, for 2 pound of Butter, at 3 — 6." "EXAMINATIONS, 1739.^^ I (at) Craig, Dec. 18. 7 (at) Burrodon, Jan. 10. 8 Allentone, Jan. 18. High Trughet, Jan. 22. Netherton, Jan. 24.^3 Skreenwood, Jan. 29." 9 10 1 1 2 Peels, Dec. 20. 3 Flotterton, Dec. 25. 4 Sharperton, Dec. 26, 5 New Hall, Dec. 27. 6 Harbottle, Jan. 4 ( 1 740). " 1741, May 25. Outlays at the Sacramenti4 6 Gallon of Drink ... Bread Cakes and seasoning with 9 Quarts of Wine ... Carying Brandy Cheese Butter Pens and Ink (i^d.) To Robert Marchell for Alnwick flower. his Journey to . 5 . 4 4 . 7 . 12 7 . 8 . 6 . 3 9 . I . 1-3 ) . ^ 11" " Examination of Candidates for the Sacrament, which was at that time celebrated twice a year, but in earlier times only once a year. '3 The house of John Buddie of Netherton was one of the eight houses in the district licensed for Nonconformist meetings. This licence was granted at the October Sessions, 1701. — jirck. Ailiana, Vol. xv., p. 154. '■• As many of the members came long distances, refreshments were provided for them, of which they partook at " intermission," between the forenoon and afternoon services. This was the custom as late as i860, in widely scattered congregations such as Harbottle, Branton, and others. IIARBOTTLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 20/ (Circa. 1741) "from Robert Marchell for ye Scotts Half- pennys, o o 10-2." " 1 74 1, Jan. 17. No Coll., being few folk and Bad day." " 1742, Jan. 10. Joh. 8, 24, one exercise, being a stormy day." "Jan. 17. Joh. 8, 29. A stormy day of Wind, and ye waters very high, one exercise." "Jan. 24. Joh. 8, 32. Job 5, 7. A pleasant day." " 1743, to James for Jon. Horsley in Thropton, for his father's Buryal, o 5 o." " Sep. 20, for a Bible for the Pulpit to Mr, Bryson, o 7 o." "Oct. 13, for carrying the Bible, o o 3." " 1744. Mr. Scott, Removed from Wood Hall to Har- bottle. May ye nth, the eleventh being flitting ^5 Friday." " 1744, June I ith, tokens 14 score and 16." "Nov. 12, 14 score and 14." ^^ "April II. National Fast. Lsa. 58, i, and Amos 4, I4."i7 "June I. Shor(ter) Catechism begun." '3 "Flitting Friday." — May 11 and 12 are yet the two "flitting days" in Northumberland, when the farm servants "shift," or remove, from one form place to another. ■' Communion tokens were, and are still, used by many Presbyterian congre- gations. Below are drawings of two Harbottle tokens, made of lead : — " H. B. , 1757," size Yz inch square. " II. B., 1819," size ^ inch square. In 1744 there appears to have been a membership of aiiout llirce hundred. As bearing on the subject, we here quote an extract from the Notes of Bishop Chandler in his " Parochial Remarks on his Visitation (Circa. 1736). S])eaking of the parish of Alwinlon, in reference to Presbyterianism, he states: "8 Lied, meeting houses where is service and the calech. The cheif is at Harbottle, a. m. from the C. where service 3 successive Sundays and ye 4th .Sunday at Windy- haugh, 5 m(iles) from the c(hurch)." '7 Defeat abroad in the French War and danger at home from llie Jacoljite Rising were probably the cau.sc of the "National l-ast." 208 UPPER COQUETDAI.E. "Aug. 12, first Sabath ye Dulpit was removed." " Sept. 23. Acts 2, 34. Titus 2, 19. A very wet, rainy season, and hath been for a long time, and is still threatening An Easterly wind and Dark Fogg, it has been rainy weather since the beginning of September, and broken weather before, the corn is likely to be bad if Providence prevent it not speedily," " Dec. 27, for the Bridge, o 10 o." % " Dec. 29, for the steps, 034; for Drink at ye steps, o o 6." " Nov. 5, when the couple feet was mended, a qwt. of ale and a I.oaf, o o 5." " 1745, Dec. 18, Wednesday, National Fast Day, Psal, 83." "April 15, Adam Scott, Schoolm(aster) from Askirk Biddlestone." " July, Thos. White, Schoolmr., Hallystone from Oxnam." " Ale to mr. Cleanels mowers, the first day 8 pints of ale, 2 loves, ye second day 9 pints of ale, too loves, ye third day five pints and 3 penny loves. "Sep. 19, to John Common for Isibell Maxwell's Coffin, 030; for ye steps, 026; for a quart of ale at Setting ye tent, o o 4." " 1747, Jan. 7, National Fast, Isai. 26-11." " 1749, April 25, National Thanksgiving for peace."is " Harbottle, Sep. ye 17, 1749. Sabath Day, a very Stormy day and waters very great, a very loud wind." "Our late Minister, Mr. Geo. Scott, Dyed Aug. 15, 1755. Mr. Trotter accepted the call from this Congregation at Alnwick, Nov. 5 following." " This book is all done away and out of date and obsolete. Old things are past away, behold all things are become new — Thursday, July 10, 1760 (Signed) John Dixon, Harbottle." '^ Peace was proclaimed on Feb. 2, 1749. HARBOTTLE PRESBVTKRIAN CHURCH. 200 BAPTISMS SINCE MR. SCOTT'S ORDINATION. (Extracts.) 1736, " Margaret Dr. (Daughter^ to Walter and Elizabeth Turnbull, in Trughet Mill,i9 Dec. 13, 1736." 1737, "Mary Dr. to Thomas and Isabel Wait, in Sharper- ton, Seive Maker, March )'e 7th." 1737, " Isibell and Anne Drs. to William and Margt. Hall, Slime foot, July 23." 1737, "William S. (Son) to Thomas and Christian Oliver, in Cobdone,2o Nov. 7." 1737, " Anne Dr. to George and Isibell Turnbull, in Dunghopburn,2i Feb. }'e 6th." 1738, "Mary Dr. to George and Anne Buddie, in Netherton, Nov. 16." 1739, "Matthew S. to John and Isibell Anderson, in Clennell Mill, March 22." I739> "Christian Dr. to Geo. Oliver, in Saughridgc, Nov. 28." 1 741, "Betty Dr. to Matthew and Jane Bell, in Peels Fulling Mill, June 2 [." 1742, "Margaret Dr. to Thomas and Isibell Gibson in Edgehouses, May ye 2nd." 1742, "(I got not the child's name) to James and Betty Riddell, in Heally Dod, Octob. 25, p. Elsden." 1743, " Mary Dr. to John and Margt. Coughran, Holystone, March 21." 1744, " Jennet Dr. to Geo. Crawford and Elizabeth, Borrow- ton field houses, March 12." 1744, "Catherine Dr. tcj Thomas and Jennet Davidson, Dryhope, March 19th." 1744, " Isibell Dr. to William Smail, in Flint Craigc, Nov. 13." '' Low Trewhitt Corn-mill. " Near Alnliam. " Dumbhopc burn. 14 2IO UPPER COQUETDALE. 1/45, "William S. to Alexander Mow, Gallowlaw near Alenton, April 22." 1745, "James S. to John Thomson, Servt. at East Wilk- wood, the child born at Long Craig, Alnham par., Feb. to." 1746, "Thomas S. to George Fogan, Harbottle, Servt at Cuttleside, April 13." 1746, "William S. to Edward Potts, in Iron house, Elsdon Parish, May 12." 1746, " Alise, wrong named Elizabeth, Dr. to William and Isibell Burn, Pipers Shaws, the father Buryed the Day ye child was Baptized, his Brother Geo. Burn was in Stead of the parent, Baptized June ye 4th." 1746, "William S. to John Moe, Old Swanks Rot. p., Sep. 10." 1747, " James S. to Nathanael Marchell, Hallistone Fulling Mill, March 5." 1747, "Jean Dr. to Thomas Common, in Cowd Peel, March 31, P^lsdon p." 1747, "Sarah Dr. to Mr. Robert Horsley, Clennell, March 31." 1747, "Elizabeth Dr. to James Crozier, near Rothbury Bridge So. End, July 27." 1749, " Elizabeth Dr. to John Hall, Wardlaw burn, April ye 5." 1750, "James S. to William Bollume, at Todd's house near P^allow lees, July 31, Roth. Parish." 1750, "Robert S. to Andrew Bell, Shoe maker, Netherton, Aug. 10." 175 1, " Michell son to Robert Crawmond, Pipershaws near Woodhouses, March 21." "Thomas Marchell in Lowngesknow has paid me all he was due for Baptisims, J any. 4, 1752." 2^ A public-house, called the "Old Swan," once stood near the "Swan Well," by the side of the road leading along the northern slopes of Simonside from Great Tosson to Forest-burn Gate. HARROTTLE rRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 211 1752, "James S. to James Rankin, in Wardhill in Rothbury forest, not in our Congregation, March 29." 1752, "Gabriel S. to Thcmas Rae, in Foxtone, Jan. 11." 1753, "William S. to James Thomson, in Pattons Sheill Wood Side, March 5, Elsdone Parish." 1753, "Jennet natural Dr. to James Purvise, fuller in Hally-Stone Mill, July i." 1754, "Jane Dr. to Gedion Pittilloeh, Harbottle, April 28." 1754, "Richard S. to Henry Oxley, Fuller at Newton fulling Mill near Rothbury, Nov. 25." 1755, "Jean Dr. to Thomas Sprote, Newtown Corn Mill, Jan. 1st, Rothbury Parish." 1755, "Andrew S. to Thomas Pattin, Weaver in Heigh, April 9th." 1/55) " James S. to John Mitchell, Hartlaw house, June 16, Alnham parish." 1755, "James .S. to Joseph Broady, Fairnilaw, July 7, Roth. Parish. 1755, "Anne Dr. to George Davidson, Wright in Ncthcr- ton, July 27. (Mr. Scott's last Baptism)." 1755, "Andrew S. to Robert Hogg, Craig Shiel, Dec. 16. The first Mr. Trotter Baptized." We here give copies of the public notices already mention- ed, which are found intersper.sed throughout tlic \olumcs. The clean side ha\ing been used for memoranda connected with the Congregation. (Circa. 1750-60.) "This is to give notice that at .Alnham Northficld, to be .sold by way of publick Roup on Thursda\' tlic 26th Da\' of instant, about seaven hundred Weathers, great jjart of tlu-in four year old. Ruls of the Roup will be heard at the sale, six months credit given." " This is to Give Notice to all I'recholds and farms in the Parish of Aliiigtf)n and Keadlanlordship to have the Lanrl-tax 212 UPPER COQUETDALE. read}' on tuesda}' and Wednesday first, for it is due on Friday the iQth of tliis Instant." " This is to szive Notice that there is to be sold at Borroton on Wednesday the 22nd of this Instant, By way of Roup, Belonging" to Edward Lenox, Such as Cows with Calfe, Milk Cows and Yeild Cows, and a Young Mare with fole, there is Milk Vessel with a large Rim, and a Kart with all traping, there is six Months Credit by Security, and Sixpence the Pound for Redy Money Abaite. The Sail will begin at twelve O'clock." " This is to give Notice that there is to be sold at Wood- houses by way of Roup, on Friday first the loth of this Instant, at Twelve Months Credit, the Stock of Charles Bulman, consisting of Cows, Oxen, young Cattle, and a Bull, Ews and Lambs, and Hogs, and Horses ; those that pa)- ready Money shall have Twelve pence in the pound abated." "This is to Give Notice that the Highshaw, Ironhouse in the parish of Elsdon is to be Lett, Either together or Separate, who Ever Inclines to take the Same may apply to Mr. J(-ihn Gallon who will Treat with them about the Same." (A Recipe evidently for a Cough.) " A handfull of the inner Bark of Rowintree as much Rough big (barley), a quarter of a b of Prunes, put them into 3 Gills of Spring Water and boil it into a pint, then strain it and add a * sugar Candie, then Boil it into a Large Gill Like a Syrup, and give it in the morning or any time of the day." " HarbdtUe Castle stands on wheels, If ye gied a gud kick It'll run to the Peels." (0/d Rhyme). ALWINTON. 213 CHAPTER XIII. ALWINTON. Its situation and surroundings — A Manor of the Alnwick Barony of de Yesci — Held b}' the Umfravilles— Subsequent Owners — Horsley — Heton — Ogle — Freeholders 1568, 1663, 1710, 1734, 1747, 1774 — Villagers in 1828 — Alwinton of to-day — The Post Office— Red Lion — Rose and Thistle — Well-known Hostelries — Resort of Anglers — Sheep Show and Sports — Site of Old Hall — " Run and Rig" Farming — Old Cottages — Field names — Effect of Floods — First sight of Alwinton from the Pine Avenue. ALW'LNTOX is the first village that meets the eye of the tra\-eller as he crosses over the Cheviot hills out of Scotland into Coquet water. The little village consists only of a few scattered houses standing on the level haugh-lands that lie between the Coquet and the Alwin. It is sheltered on the north by the heights of Lord's Seat and Gallow Law, with a fine view to the south of the dark pine woods of Harbottle, the Swire/ and Barrow Knocks. On the left are seen the church and vicarage pleasantly situated on the north bank of the Coquet, immediately below the junction of the Coquet and the Alwin. The meeting of these two mountain streams forms the subject of a poem, several lines of which ue have already quoted: — " \or were the daughters of the Kidland race Less eager in their strife, who best should grace Fair Alwine's nuptials : — down from ev'ry side They iiaste to give attendance on the bride. They strew the paths, whereon she is to pass. With choicest jiebbjes,- and the greenest grass ; Whereon her pure and most Iransjiarent stream (jliding, might l)olh .set (jff herself and them ; 'Swire — In 1522 a border fight took place between the Scots and English at Siiii^mtdswire, near Alwinton. I'r'ibably at the iiwire. See p. 54. * Pebbles — Fragments of water-worn chalcedony or agate, locally known as "Coquet ])cbble.s." Those beautifull) -veined agates make a charming selling (or brooch or pin. 214 UPPER COQUETDALE. For she is Kidland's pride, and Kidland vies For mountain beauties — highland properties — With all the fells — in all the county round For verdure and for pasturage renown'd. Rookland, and Punkerton, and Kidland-lee, Dryhope, and Milkhope, and the charming Heigh, Flowing with milk, and rich and fleecy flocks, And fam"d for Coleys — guardians of the stocks The busy nymphs their garlands all prepare Of wild thyme neatly wove with maiden-hair ; Chaplets of rushes, tipt with silver flow'rs, Pick'd from the Cushet-law, and mossy moors. And thus adornVl they wait upon the bride, Sweet Ahvine :— now in wedlock to be tied : — They dance from shelf to shelf, and round her throng. The Linns their music — Alwiue all their song — Then down to th' open plain they all repair. To meet trim Coquet at his temple there. For he could not ascend— as fates ordain'd — To meet her at the temple of her land At I\IeminerkiiJ< — much in those days renown'd, Tho' now in ruins — near level with the ground. Yet he supply'd this want of courtesy. With this memorial to posterity. That wheresoe'er he should his Ahvine claim. That place for evermore should bear her name. Hence, to this day, Kidland, whose temple's down, Performs its marriage rites in Alivintou." ^ Although that famous baron, Gilbert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus and lord of Redesdale and Harbottle, who flourished 1 245-1 306, held 200 acres of land and "eight bondages" in Ahvinton, besides the royalt)' of the manor, the patronage of the Church, the right of capital punishment, and an assize of ale and bread ; \'et the manor itself was a member of the Alnwick barony, which the Umfravilles held under the " de Vescies" for military service. In the escheats of 8 Edwd. II. (13 1 5) the following ten towns in Upper Coquetdale are described as part of the Alnwick baron)- of " Henricus de Percy" thus: — " Feoda viilit dicti Henrici. Ahventon, Clenhi), B'ydelsden, Burthdon, Scharperton, Thirnou, Nedder- ton, Faudon, Angerham, and Thirnymesden \illa."4 Shortly 3The Marriage of the Coquet and the Alwine (1817), pp. 3, 4, '5, 6. *» Hodgson's Nortluimberla)id , part iii., vol. i. , p. 6o. ALWINTON. 2 1 5 before the death of this baron, the Horsleys appear to have had an interest in Ahvinton, for in i3o6"Ricusde Horsley" has Hberty of free warren, 5 and in 1308 a Richard Horsley — probably the same person — is found to be the owner of Linn- sheels, with Ahvinton and lands and tenements there, also the manors of " Aldensheles " and Farnham.^ In 1353 Thos. de Heton holds several of the Alnwick manors, and " Alwenton Sect' cur,"7 while in 1371 " Robt. de Ogle," the owner of Hepple, is also possessed of the two manors of Farnham and Ahvinton. The Feodar}''s Book for 1568S records the follow- ing as owners in Ahvinton : — George Hetherington, Peter Brown, Alexander Hall, 9 and the Rates and Rentals of 1663 gives the names of eleven proprietors, viz.: — Sir Edward W'id- drington, Capt. Selb}-, Mr. John Clennell, George Wilson, George Parte (? Pratt), Robt. Potts, George Wilkinson, John Robson, Elizabeth Browne, Garrett Wilkinson, and Mr. John Thirlwall. The freeholders in Ahvinton in 17 10 were: — John Young, Clement Trumble, William Pratt, Robert Brown, George Wilkinson. The name of James Burn of Kidlandlee occurs in the list of 1734. Those of 1747 are William Brown, George Pratt, John Young, James Burn. In 1774 we find George Kirkup, Robert Xesbit, Robert Turnbull, Clement Turnbull.io The principal inhabitants of the village in 1828 were: — Rev. Thomas Bland, incumbent, curate of Ahvinton and Holystone ; Isabella Burn, shopkeeper ; Thomas Clarke, .'•choolmaster ; Christopher Kirkuj), tailor; John Nevison, blacksmith; Violet Scott, shopkeeper ; John Davison, farmer ; Robert Turnbull, farmer." ^ llodgson^s JVor(/ium6er/a>ti/, part iii., vol. ii., p. 394. « Ibid. 398. 'Ibid. Part iii., vol. i., p. 77. ^ Fcodary — Is an officer bcloiifjiiii^ to the Court ol Wards and Liveries, whose office it was to survey and value the land of the Ward, iKic. "> IhAQSon's Norlhumberland, part iii., vol. iii., p. lix. "^ County I'oU B.joks. " I'arson and White, vol. ii., p. 453. 2l6 UPPER COQUETDALE. A large farm-house, two excellent inns, the post office and a few cottages now constitute the ancient village of Ahvinton. The " Red Lion " which was for many years kept by Harmah Jordan — a well-known hostess — has been rebuilt in modern style. The old " Rose and Thistle " on the opposite side of the road, is a favourite rendezvous for anglers, and who is there amongst the many followers of the gentle art, that yearly resort to the famous streams of Upper Coquet, but knows mine host of the "Thistle" — Mr. John Common — with his wonderful fund of stories and entertaining river-lore, for John himself is an expert with the angle. The little post office and telephone office, which in a manner is the centre of the district and forms an important factor in the amenities of a wide and thinly populated hill country, has been for upwards of forty years in the hands of one family, a member of which — Mrs. Nichol — is the present postmistress. The Annual Sheep Show at Ahvinton, usually held early in September, is a great gala day with the inhabitants of Upper Coquet, when there are exhibited some of the finest specimens out of the hill flocks of the Coquet and the Rede. Wrestling and other sports also form an interesting feature in the day's proceedings. In former years horse races were held at Ahvinton, and a football match was played between the men of Redewater and the men of Coquet, in the real old border fashion. The Redewater cry during the game was "Tarset and Tarry burn yet, yet, yet!" the cry of Coquet being " Coquetside for ever," and as if to keep up border tradition the play frequently finished up with a friendly fight. 12 '- Party feeling between the dales was occasioually expressed in doggrel verse. The following is a specimen of one current in Upper Coquetdale during the last century : — " Upper Redewitter for mosses and bogs, The main o' their leevin' is titties and hoggs ; An' if an aad ewe chance to dee o' the rot, There's nae loss at her, she's gud for the pot." ALWINTON. 217 The hall of the Horsleys and the Selbys has disap- peared long ago and its site is now marked b}^ a clump of ash trees and sycamores. The farm was formerly held in "run rig" b\- James and Thomas Selby,^3 and the spits were laid out on the plan — James and Thomas alternately. James lived in the old hall, and eventually the property was purchased b}' the Selbys of Biddleston. The modern farm house at Alwinton was once known as " Pratts Yett."i4 The malt barn and thatched cottages were swept away years ago. The ruinous walls of a building 3'et standing opposite to the " Crown and Thistle " are the only remains of old Alwinton. These very primitive dwellings had roughly hewn oak beams and couples, the ends of which were sunk in the ground to prevent the thrust on the walls and to support the wattled and thatched roofs. A small streamlet called " Hawsden," " Howsden," or " Hawisden " burn flows through the village — the name of which ha-s been the subject of much speculation amongst antiquaries. ^5 As field-names are of interest to the philologist, and also throw valuable sidelights on local history, we here give a selection of those around Alwinton: — East Allenton. — Gallow Law Field, Round Knowe Field, Common Piece, Swid House Bree, Cow'd Thorn, Broom o' the Heugh, Horse Close, Russell's Croft, Mauchlin's Close or Duns Green. ''^ West Allenton. — Stone Close, Howe Meadow, Wheat Close, 'Mlisl. B.N.C., vol. xii., p. 39. '^Pratt's ^'ett (f^atc). The name of William I'ratt occurs in ihc list of ,\i\vin- ton Freeholders, 1710. 'SHaw.stlen— It is recorded in the Charier Rolls, 18 Edward I. (1290)— "No. 79, Thomas de Clenhill — Clenhili ct Hnllisdon libera warren," on which the following note is made in \\i.A^^un\ Norlhuiuherland, part ii., vol. i., y. 93: — " We apprehend that the ground, over which Thomas Ciennell had free warren, laid on the west side of the ,\lwen, opposite to Ciennell, ant! that it derived its name from a craggy ravine called [[•■!!>s,!,it I.v some, and by others Hoscden to this day" (1827). ■''Duns Green — This is an old name. "The I^ird of Dones-grene " was a setter and searcher in the border watch of 1541. See p. 30. 2 1 8 UlTKR COQUETDALE. Can- Close, Six Ridges, '7 Charit)' Croft, South Quarterlands, Bulls' Bounds, North Quarterlands or Burn Mouth, Meggy's I^ee. Barrozv. — Blanket Haugh. The Rev. John Hodgson, who visited Redewater and Upper Coquetdale in the September of i8io, wrote thus: — • " Harbottle Castle is two miles above Hallystone. Its green mounds and grey walls rise up proudly in the valle}', and even \-et seem to threaten the traveller no passage to the moun- tainous districts of the Coquet, without leave. I dined very comfortably here, and rode from Harbottle to Alwinton, where I met with a very clever and sensible old lady sitting at a cottage door, and gleaned much information from her. The difference of soil between this countr}' and the Reed- water is as striking as the difference of feature. The Reed has neither boldness nor fertility ; the hills seem to be laid alongside of it asleep, and to suffer all the natural wants of indolence. About Alwinton the hills lift up their green heads and spread out their broad shoulders with all the strength and vigour natural to industr)'. There are a few farms about Harbottle and High Alwinton in a high state of agriculture, and there could not be a more sweetly sequestered spot than Clennell."i8 \ solitar}- house, called Angryhaugh, stands on the south bank of the Coquet, west of the church, in the centre of a patch of green verdure that shows amongst the heather of Barrow Knocks. The origin of the name " Angry- haugh " is said to be from " Anger — a meadow, a pasture ground." 19 The haugh lands around Alwinton are mostl}' on gravel beds ; therefore, the surface is liable to be broken up by the river in flood. Before the erection of the bridge o\er the '7 Six Ridges — No doubt refers to the "run and rig" system of the Selbys already mentioned. '** Memoir of the Rev. John Hodgson (Raine), vol. i, p. 68. '9 Hist. B.N.C., vol. xii., p. 40. ALWINTON. 219 Ahvin^o — and e\en more so when there was no bridge over the Coquet — all communication with the upper parts of the valley was, during a flood, entire!}- cut off b\- the swift-running waters of the Coquet and the Alwin. At that period a flood lasted much longer than in the present day of universal drainage, and " Stopp'd wi' witters " was then an unpleasant realit\-. A charming view of Alwinton and its surroundings is obtained from the road leading from Harbottle. The church and vicarage nestling amid a greener}- of trees on the right, the village itself and its fields and meadows lying awa}- beyond, among the foot-hills of the Cheviots, with the silvery streams of the Coquet and the Alwin in the fore- ground, at once strike the e}-e of the tourist as he emerges from the shadows of the dark pine avenue. " The morn is grey and green ihe brae, ihe wind is frae ihe wast ; Before the gale the snavs -wliite clouds are drivin" light and fast ; The airly sun is glinlin" forth, owre hill, an' dell, an" plain ; And Coquet's streams are glittrin", as they rin frae nuiir to main." — Coquetdale Fishing Song, 1841. -"".\Uvin Bridge, erected liy ])iil)lic suhscriplion, and ()])ene. 98. *66 Sur. Snc. ]iiiljl., ]). 81. 224 UPPER COQUETDALE. to the monks of Newminster. These good brethren, what with wayleaves, rights of way to osier beds and marl pits, had their fingers in ahnost ever}' estate in Upper Coquetdale. There is no doubt but that a church was standing here at least a century before this "Pepper grant "of 1223, previous perhaps to the erection of Harbottle Castle, which, as we have seen, \\'as built circa 1160, the little Norman window in the chancel, its size, and its extreme simplicity, point to the first half of the twelfth century. In 1245, Alwinton church, then valued at £\^6 13s. 4d., and the vicarage ^^^13 6s. 8d., besides the portion of Holystone, was in the gift of Gilbert de Umfraville, lord of Redesdale, William de Lexington, being vicar. We have an interesting thirteenth century notice of Alwinton church that throws a strong side-light on the lawlessness of that period. Thomas de Holms was, for some transgression, taken prisoner by Gilbert de Umfraville, but becoming appellant {i.e. turning king's evidence) he escaped from Harbottle castle and fled to Alwinton church, where, before the coroners, he forswore his country and sought to leave it, but two of Umfraville's men went in pursuit and overtook him on Simonside, where they beheaded the fugitive, and, taking his head back to Harbottle, hung it on the gallows there. This unscrupulous chieftain Gilbert de Umfraville had also a gallows at x^lwinton, the site is preserved to us in the name of a hill known as"Gallow-law," a prominent green knoll overlooking the village and manor of Alwinton. We might remark in passing that all manors or lordships did not possess capital rights, there were only four in Upper Coquetdale which had the power of life and death — Rothbury, Hepple, Harbottle, and Alwinton. About the same time, Ralph, the nephew of the vicar of Alwinton, was also taken prisoner by Gilbert de Umfraville, and lay within the walls of Harbottle castle until his uncle released him by paying 12 marks to Umfraville. The vicar of Alwinton, like many another border parson in those rough old days, lived ALWIXTOX CHURCH. 225 within a stoutl}' fortified house, such as were then in common use all along the borderland. The Sur\e\' of 1541 sa\-s : — " At Allaynton \-s a h-tle bastell house of stone the mansion of the vycaredge scaresl}^ in good repac'ons." From the Ecclesiastical Proceedings of Bishop Barnes s (1575-1587; we learn that the parish church of " Halistone "' and the chapel of " Alanton " had no incumbents, but were served by stipendiary priests ; that Roland Wilkinson, the parish clerk, of Alwinton, was excommunicated for non-attendance at the chancellor's visitation at Alnwick, on Jan. 25, 1577, while George Levinston, a Scot, the unlicensed curate, of Alwinton, was present, but John Turner, the curate, of " Halliston," did not appear, he probably having been excused. On the 30th Jul\-, 1570, there was no curate. Mr. Levinson was excused from attending the visitation of the 30th Jul)-, 1578, he being said to be sick and infirm. During the early part of the seventeenth centur\', the parishioners of Alwinton must have been rather an unruly class for the parson to keep in order, for in 1628, at the instance of Alexander Myngzies, the curate, three of the parishioners — John Hearon, John Linton, and Roger Pott — were summoned to appear before the High Court of Commis- sion, at Durham, for " prophanation of the Sacraments."*^ At that period holy communion was administered only once in the year at Alwinton, viz., on l^aster da\', " when 500 or 6co persons usually assemble." One of the many complaints was that John Hearon on the.se occasions took his seat in the high part (jf the chancel at the east end, where he collected the Easter reckonings when the hoi}- communion was being administered "in the bod}- of the church," thereb)- causing much noise and disorder, as man}- of the people would not agree to pay Hearon's demands. The l)ra\\ ling was heard not on!)' throughf)Ut the church, but in the churchyard. This is not surprising when we are further told that " the walls of the ^24 .Sur. Soa. publ., pp. 9, 38, 77. *34 Il)i(I, p. 7. l.> 226 UPPER COQUETDALE. church and chancell are in great decay, noe glasse in the windowes and noe doores for the church, but it lieth all open." This John Hearon, a descendant of a powerful Northumbrian family, appears to have been an imperious and troublesome neighbour, for he had also taken possession of the vicar's bastle mansion and let it as an alehouse, so that the vicar was obliged to build himself a small cottage to live in, out of his '"poor pension of 14 nobles by year." 7 In 1634, "William Selbie, Esq., of noe certaine abode, was enjoined to repair the porch in Allantown church which concerned him and his prede- cessors"; and at the same time a monition was issued to the inhabitants to repair the church and " to laie a cessment for the doing thereof" On April 23rd, 1635, and subsequently, the same Sir William Selby was twice before the Court for clandestine marriage, and for contempt of jurisdiction and private baptism. ^ The Oliverian Survey of 1650, thus describes Alwinton and Holystone : — " That the Parish of Allenton and Halliston is a Rectorye. Sir Edward Wyddrington, Baronett, George Thirlwall, Gent., and Mr. Selby, Patrons thereof, Mr. Starbecke, Incumbent pro tempore, and the value of the said Rectorie, worth p. anu. two hundred and seaventye pounds. That two partes of the said Rectory is under Sequestracion for the said Sir Edward Widdrington and George Thirlwall's delinquency, and the other parte in Mr. Selbye's owne hands. That Member Kirke and Kendland may ffittly be united to the said Parish. And that there was formerly paid to the Curate of the said Prsh., vizt., ffower pounds, thirteene shillings, fourepence to Allenton, by the Crowne, and fifoure pounds by the Crowne to Halliston."9 When the Rev. John Horsley in 1729-30 was collecting material for the History of Northumberland, he applied to Archdeacon Sharp for information as to Alwinton and 7 Noble — A gold coin, value 6s. 8d. ^34 Sur. Soc, pp. no, 124, 189. '^Yio'S.^^ori's, Northumberland, partiii. , vol. iii., p. 77. ALWINTON CHURCH. 227 Holystone being one parish, and received the following reply : — " Ouer\', Allenton and Holystone, if properly united ? — No, otherwise than as served by the same curate by custom immemorial. For though Mr. Willis makes St. Mary's, Holy- stone, to be a chapel to St. Michael's, Allenton, yet they are commonly reputed different parishes. The proper patron, antiently the Prioress of the Nunner\- at Holystone, after the dissolution, the impropriators — but they being Roman Catholics, and stipend no more than ^8, the University of Cambridge never thought worth their while to look after it, so they were served b}' any curate the people approved of, the Bishop not interposing. After m\' visiting there, finding the present curate had no title, I caused him to take sequest- ration to Allenton, and in that way he held it while it obtained, lately, augmentation, first b\' lot, then by the present Bishop's benefaction, who hereupon obtained the patronage to his see. It was otherwise augmented, under its old stile, as a Vicarage, though stripped of its Vicarial rights. But, to save expenses, the present Incumbent has not institution, but holds by license from the Bishop under sign Manual. The Appropriation. — This was first to the Benedictine Nunnery at Holystone. After the dissolution, both places being granted into lay hands, it became an impropriation, which is now worth between ^^^400 and ^500 per annum. Mr. Selby of J^iddleston has two-thirds ; Mr. Talbot, Lady Sherborne ("now Huchcss of Norfolk), and others, the remain- ing third. The Duchess's part lately sold to R. Storrer, sen., of Rothbury. "^ Bishop ("handler, in his ' Parochial Remarks on his Visit- ation,' supposed to have been made in 173'"), tlius refers to Alwinton :— ' (', Allenton 6i: llal\- Stone Cap. 3 m. f Allent. frcnn 1'".. to W. wr it bcjrders on Scotland above 12 m., froni S. to N. (taking in Kidkuul Ldshp w<"h calls itself extra ^'^ Incdiled Coiitt ihittioiis to tin Hit. of Northiiniherlaitd^ p. 63. 228 UPl'KR C()()UKTI)ALH. ' paroch) & tcniches on y^ border about S in. Held by seque.strac'on, no house, glebe . . . .Rest- \\/m Hall c. sensible. Sal. 8:5:0. Impropria's 400/. in y^ Dutch, of Norfolke, & Tho. Selby of Bidlestone, both Papists. Fain. 223 of w^^i 100 Presb. 28 Papists meet at Biddleston a mile from the C, at M>' Selby's, Rob. Widdrington, Preist. 8 Lic<' meeting houses where is service & the catech. The cheif is at Harbottle a m. from the C. where service 3 successi\e Sunda\-s and yf 4th Sunday at Windy- haugh 5 m. from )-e c[hurch]. Jas. Bell, Teacher, A C. School for 5 poor children. Cat ^2 ^v^h Sharp's Cat. twice in \'e chappie Samt"^ 4 times 60 come. Kidland Ldshp belongs to Sr Th. Legar & [blank] Shafto Esqi' pays no tith, but buries & christens at Allenton, remains of an old Chap, appear among y^ mountains, called Xim[m]er or Member-Kirk, pt joyns to M. Cheviot or Cheviot forest. In Kidland Ldshp 65 Fam. most .... li\e mostly in single houses called steed houses inhabited by stock masters & herds. But one Gentlem" in y^ Parish a Papist (?) 4 part and }4 of six part of \-c land belongs to Papists.' In 1780 Mr. Moses, the vicar of Alwinton, gave 129 as the number of Roman Catholics in his parish. Belonging to the Church of St. Michael, at Alwinton, there are the following communion vessels : — I. Cui* of silver of graceful outline, boss in centre of stem, 6^ inches high, 3i/( dia. at mouth, 3 j-g at base, bowl 3^-^ deep. Made by John Younghusband, a Newcastle silversmith, 171 1. Inscribed round the bowl is: — "Ex dono Madm Eliz. Clennell of West Lilburn To the Parish of Allington." II. Sih'er straight-sided Flacjon, reeded round base and a little below top, 6 inches high, t,}4, dia. at mouth, 4)4^ at base. Spout, flat lid, with thumb piece. Made in London, 1799. Inscribed on front :—" EX DONO | THQS. CLENELL | to THE I PARISH OF ALWINTON | 1840." III. Silver Paten, 9^ inches dia., rim, with moulded edge ALWIXTON CHURCH. 229 i^ wide, 2}:j^ high, on open stand 4)4 dia., made in London 1839. Inscribed in centre EX DOXO | TO THE | PARISH 1 OF I ALWiXTON | THQS CLENNELL. IV. Pewter straight-sided Flagox, slightly moulded base, Sj4 inches high, 4)4 dia. at mouth, 5 at base, rounded lid with thumb piece, no spout. V. Straight-side, Flagon of pewter, 9 inches high, 4}4 dia. at mouth, 6 at base. Flat lid with thumb piece, no spout. VI. Pewter Patex, with moulded edge, 9 inches dia., 3 high, on stand 3^ dia. A rose surmounted b\' crown on back twice, and F. STOX with a cro\\-n above each letter. VII. Pewter ALMS DiSH, 13 inches dia., with rim ij^ wide. On rim AL & H.S. On back WATSOX." The handsome brass Eagle Lectern, and a series of stained glass windows in the north wall of the Clennell Mortuary aisle, were the gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Wilkinson of Clennell — who have been generous donors towards the beauti- fying of their ancient parish church. An eighteenth century sundial of three sides, with the gnomon yet in the front face, is standing on the churchx'ard wall. Its original position was probably the apex of the porch roof Close to the church G^ate there is an old house with a roof of grey slates fastened with sheep shank-bones, said to have once been the vicarage. It is now the "l\arish Stable" for the use of the parishioners coming from a distance on horseback or driving. 'Jhis is a characteristic adjunct peculiar to a liill parish. EXTR.\CT.S FROM ALWI.NToX TAKISII liOOK.S. Alwinton Parstjns — variously tcrmcfl "Rector" — "X'icar" — " Minister " and " Curate." Most of the names are taken from the Alwinton ("lunch Ji(joks, others from Randall's Clinrclus of Nortkmiibcrland^ " Proc. Soc. Aiili 324^ 340^ 360 «^ 37of 38og h 427! 577^^ 628 1 634 '» 650" 657 663 « 67 IP 682 q 683 r 719^ 743' 744 u 754^" (a) Newminster Cartulary. (b) Hodgson's NotthuDiberland. c, d, e, f, g, h, i, ni, p, q, r, s, t, u are taken from the list in Alwinton Church Book. (1) 34, Surt. Soc. puhl., p. 7. (k), (o), (v) are from KandaWs list. (n) WodgsoTiS Northio/iheriand. Part iii., vol. iii., p. 77. '- Presented to the living by Charles Duke of Somerset. ALWINTON CHURCH. 23 I hi 903 Thomas Moseses (signs himself vicar) ob. ... 1758-1798^^' Thomas Bland '4 (signs as curate, 1795-8) ob. 1 798-1 832 x Robert Belany, curate-in-charge ... ... 1 832-1 833 y A islabie Procter, res. ... ... ... ... 1833-18772 Henr\- Egdell Henderson, ob. ... .. 1877- 1892 a' Arthur Stocqweles Wardroper, res ... 1 892- 1 895 l^ ' Barnabas Binks, res. ... ... ... ... 1895-1903C' Joshua Harold Booth ... ... ... 1903 I'Peter Dodds, Biddleston, Churchwardens 1 John Nicholson, Burradon Mains, [Henry H. Xewton, Holystone, ["Dr. Godfrey Bedford, Harbottle, Sidesmen ... - Matthew Gibson, Biddlestone Edge [William Cragild, Holystone, Clerk and Sexton : — William Storey, Angryhaugh, The patronage of Ahvinton Church appears to have been frequently changed. In early times the Umfravilles of Har- bottle had the advowson of both Ahvinton and Elsdon. About 1376 we find Ahvinton connected with Holystone Priory. " The Church of Allenton or Ahventon was appro- priated to the Priory of Holystone by King Edw. 3rd, Lie. about 11"/ 6" (Randall). At the Reformation the temporalities and the patronage passed into the hands of the neighbouring landowners, as seen in the Survey of 1650. Ikit in 1744, James Gladstaines was presented to the living by the Duke of Somerset. In later times it has been in the gift of the iJukcs of Northumberland, but it was exchanged March 16, 1892, and is now in the gift of the Lord Chancellor. w, X, y z, a', b', c' are taken from the list in Alwinton Church Buuk. ''Thomas Moses was Rccior of Kirlchaugh from 174J, and also \'icar of Alwinton 1758 to 1780, he resigned Kirkhaugh in 1658 and came to Alwinton, at which place he died in 1798. '■•About 1795 the Hishoj) of Durham was petitioned by the i)arishioners to appoint .Mr. Inland, who had been Curate for near seven years to Mr. Moses, and also schoolmaster, prolably in his hon)e at Angryhaugh. The latter was said to be very old and infirm, rroc. Auliq. Soc, Newcastle, vol. ix., ji. 239. 232 UPTER COC^UKTDALli. The earliest list of minister, churchwardens, and twenty- four is f(Huid in the minutes of the vestry meeting of April 14, 171 8, which are signed by : — David Drybrough, Minister. David Drybrough, Churchwarden. John KcUit, James Selbye, also churchwardens. Luke Clennell, John Alder, George Brown, William Potts, John Potts, Gilbert Pot. Churchwardens and Overseers for 17 19 were : — John Alder,) Percivall Horsley, ) Church John Potts, j " Robt. Brown, j Wardens. 1723. — Signatures at the vestry meeting of April 15, Easter ^londa}', 1723: — Wm. Hall, Minr. Thomas Dumow, j Church David Drybrough, ) Wardens. John Potts,) ^ T^ 1- Overseers. Wm. Potts, J . Wm. Potts, John Alder, George Burne, John Potts, Wm. Potts, John Oliphor, Xpher Jameson, William Green, Chris- topher Bollam, James Robson. In 1739 the name of James Dodds appears amongst the signatures at the vestry meeting, ^s In 1729.— William Green, Matthew Lenox, and Thomas Selby were churchwardens. 1760. — John Common for Percival Clennell, Esq., his lands in Borrowdon ; Andrew Foggin for Makendon ; Thomas Potts for Woodhou-ses. '5 Mrs. Oeorge Douglas, River View House, RothVjury, possesses a unique and interesting relic of the James Dodds here mentioned in his connection with Alwinton Church. In the days when church pews were private property, it was usual to have the owner's name on the door of the pew — generally on a brass plate ; but this memento of the " high-ljacked pews," which was rescued at the restoration of the church in 185 1, somewhat resemVjles a notice board, being an oblong piece of wood 44 inches by g}4 inches, which probably formed part of the pew door, with the name "James Dodds, Sharpertcn, Deem. 4, 1751," carved thereon in prominent letters. ALWIXTON CHURCH. ^}>Z 17S7- — William Walb}' for Burrowdon ; John Nesbit for Alwinton ; William White for Woodhall. (Overseers) Henry Dods and John Spragon. 1766. — Henry Dodds, Sharperton ; Robert Marshal, Fair- haugh ; Charles Selby, Owicking Coat. 1769. — Ralph Clavering, Esq., for Alwinton ; William Walb\-, Junior, for Borrowton ; Jacob Smith for Lantronside. The following interesting record tells us how the Parish Clerk of Alwinton was paid for his services during the eighteenth century : — " An account of what the Freeholders, Farmers, and Tenants pay, or ought to pay, yearl}- to the Parish Clerk of Allenton and Hally Stone. Farms. Pecks Biddlestone, East Field ... •• 3 .. 06 West Field, oats •• 4 .. 08 Town-Side ... 2 .. 04 Elilaw .. 4 .. 08 Newton '1 .. 06 Newhall I .. 02 Cotte Walls .. ii^ •• 03 Foxton .. 1% •• 03 Brown Ridge, new bushel .. \% .. 03 Sheep Banks, new bushel .. i>^ ■• 03 Burrowdon, 2 old bolls ... .. iS •■ 36 Netherton, south side .. 7K •• 15 north side •• 5 .. 10 About 170 bolls of oats. The following places, being highlands, p Punchcrton, one fleece Rook-lane Lin-bridge Saugh-ridgc Shil-more Battle-sheel-haugh i\' wool : — 1 I 2 I -7 ^34 UPPER COQUETDALE. I'^air-haugh "... o I O Lounges-know... o I O Carle-croft o 2 o Blind-burn . o 2 o Make-a-din . o I o Besides eggs at Easter, meal, bread, and corn at Christmas, comonl}' called Christmas Dows or Dues. Pd. by ye whole parish, and 41I every time he calls anything at the church door^ which often happens. If the proclamacion contains several sorts, as sheep, cows, or the like, he had 6" the said Thomas being bound in the sum of twent\' pounds to appear at the Sessions " when required b\' proclamation." Luke Clennell of Clennell, Esq., was Sheriff of the Count}' in 1727. The names of Luke Clennell's family are recorded in the Register of Baptisms at Alwinton.3 His eldest son, Thomas Clennell, left a daughter, who married William Wilkinson, who thus came into the possession of Clennell. He was High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1758. Percival, the youngest son, born 17 14, ^\■as the first of the name who took up his residence at Harbottle Castle, that part of the estate having been left to him by his niece. The Alwinton Burial Register contains the following entry: — " 1796, March 16. Percival Clennell, Esq., HarbottIe."4 The present proprietor is Mr. Anthon)- Wilkinson, Prince's Gardens, London, great-grandson of the first of the name at Clennell, who has recently made e.xtensi\e additions to the mansion, in which he has judicious!}- incorporated the original interesting structure, introducing the electric light and other modern improvements, thus transforming the grim old border tower of the C'lcnnclls into a delightful country residence. 3 Sec i-a^ts 234-235. * " Percival Clennell, E.S(]., bairisler at law, was a very singular character. His extensive lands were all under-let, and he was the idol of his tenantry, whose prosperity he seemed to view with peculiar pride and delight. Though possessed of an uncommon share of the milk of human kindness, yet, from living single and retired, his manners were unrefined, and his langu.ige unpolished. I Ic was remark- able ft)r the wonderful length of his foot. lie died rich in April (March), 1796, in the 83rd year f)f hisage." — Mackenzie's Nortliiinibcrland, vol. ii., p. 49 n, 16 242 UPPER COQUETDALE. Clennell, as seen from the hill above, amid its patriarchal sycamores and ashes on the banks of the Ahvin, at the very foot of the southern range of the Cheviots, looks the picture of rural peace and retirement, such as would inspire the poet to sing : — " And I said, if peace may be found in the world, That best of all blessings I'll meet with here." Some of the most expressive field names in Clennell are — Clennell Hill, Camp Knowe, Wideopen, Woodhead, Loup Field. There is a tradition of the " bonny heir o' Clennell " having been stolen by Will Faa, the King of the Gipsies, which forms the subject of one of Wilson's Talcs of the Borders. We recommend a perusal of this tale to our readers, as an illus- tration of the lawlessness that existed on the borders in the seventeenth century. ADDITIONAL NOTES. 1283, June 28. (ieoffrey de Nevill, keeper of the forest beyond Trent, order to cause Thomas de Clenhull to have in that forest two bucks of the King's gift. — Calend. of Close Rolls, it Echod. /. , p. 21 1. 1 301, Nov. 21. 1300 foot to be selected in the County of Northumberland, to be conducted by Richard de Horsleye and Thomas de Clenhull, so as to be at Linlithgow by the morrow of St. Lucy the Virgin. — Calend. of Pat. Rolls, 30 Edwd. J., p. I. 130;, May 21. There was a King's writ for Thomas de Clenhull and Henry de Brademothe to the Constable of the Castle of St. Brevel, where Thomas de Clenhull was kept a prisoner until Dec. 16, 1308. His bill for keep and other items was ;^2i 15s. ild. Thomas at 3d. per day, Henry at 2d. per day. — Calend. of Documents relating to Scotland, vol. iii., p 36. cCv^'^'X^"^'^'^^"^'-" BIDDLESTON. 243 CHAPTER XVI. BIDDLESTON. Ancient Seat of the Selbys — Its surroundings — Part of the de Vesci Barony — Portion of the Manor held by the Delavals — Warlike deeds of the early Selbys — John Selby's tower, 141 5 — Five of the Selbys at the muster of armed men on Robert's Law, 1538 — Percy vail Selby, owner of the tower, 1541 — "The Worshipful Family of the Selbys"— Raid of the Kerrs, 1549— The Selbys in the Rising of 171 5 — Thomas Selby, Captain in the Coquetdale Rangers, 1805— Thomas Selby, his son, Lieutenant in the Cheviot Legion, 1805 — -The Selbys buried in Alwinton Church — Residents in Biddleston Township, 1828 — Fieldnames — Price of Farm Produce, 1S24 — Population. BIDDLESTON, the ancient seat of the Selbys, stands on the southern slopes of the Cheviots, peeping out from a Druidical grove of oaks at an elevation of about 750 feet, guarded on the north by a deep ravine and the massive green hills of Cold Law, Silverton, and Harden, all of which rise to a height of about 1,300 feet. On the south, the valley of the Coquet opens out to view, enclosed within the heather- clad hills of Simonside. Biddleston is thought to bo the Osbaldiston of Sir Walter Scott in Rob Roy — be this as it may, it is a spot full of interesting associations. For a description of the ravine, on the brink of which stands liiddlo- ston Hall, we quote the words of the late Dr. Hardy : — " The result of a short visit along with Mr. Dodds to the upper part of Biddleston woods, and an examination of the plants among the rocks at the ba.se of Coldlaw, that springs u|) to a great altitude immediately behind the j^lantations, where 1 was unexpectedly brc^ught into contact with an Alpine I'^lora in close contiguity with the cultivated fields of agricultural C!oquetdale. The dean or cleugh behind tlu- mansion consists of sandstone rock, mostly lying at a low angle ; and being 2 44 UPPER COQUETDALE. dry, Nettles, Herb Mercury, and Enchanters Nightshade are prevalent. Saxifj'aga umbrosa was planted out by the late Mrs. Selb}-, and thrives. Other plants noticed were Geraniinn pratense and G. sylvaticuui. The cleugh opens out to a great open glen with steep grassy sides, ascending far up to the Black Butts, where the gaping peat rifts are visible above the head. Behind it lies Wheelhope in Kidland, a chief resort of foxes. The bare scaurs and dwarf crags of reddish porphyry rock here are well coated with lichens. Wild thyme and Mountain bedstraw were abundant ; tufts of Asplcniuni TrichoDianes grew not uncommon in the shadiest chinks of the rocks ; Polypodium vnlgare was frequent, and near the base, Foxgloves and Ground Ivy.''^ The history of the manor of Biddleston is rather difficult to unravel, for, notwithstanding the oft-quoted copy of the grant of Vissard's lands to Sir Walter Selby, knight, by Edward I., dated October 24, 1272, it is somewhat puzzling and disappointing to find that there is no mention made of the Selb}'s, in connection with Biddleston, in such early documents as the Pipe Rolls, the Testa de Neville, or the Escheats given in Hodgson's " History of Northinnbcrlandr For instance, in the Testa de Neville (circa. 1272J, Biddleston is recorded as a member of the Barony de Vesci of Alnwick, held by Gilbert de Umfraville of Harbottle, being one of the ten towns of Coquetdale that rendered service to Umfra\"ille. Again, in 1354, 1361, and 1409, part of Biddleston and the manor of Seghill were held by the Delavals. ^ This was 'Hist. B.X.C., vol. xii., p. 53. ^ Hodgson's Northu))iherland, part iii., vol. ii., p. 373 ; part iii., vol. i., p. 76; part iii., vol. ii., p 271. (a) "Lease by Alan Whiteheved, chaplain, and John de Killyngworth, senior, to Sir William de la Vale, Knl. of the manors of Sighalle, Benewille, and Bidelesdeti, with all their appurtenances in Hesilden, from next Michaelmas for ten years, by the yearly payment of one pound of cumin. Dated at Sighalle, on the day after Michaelmas (30 Sept.), 1371. Test., Richard de Horsley, Sheriff of Northumberland, Alan de Ketone, Robert de la Vale, Knts." (h) " Indenture by which Sir Edward Storour, chaplain of the chantry of Sp- f(,;"„ ii'viii. f III I :'^ -'**.£ #.^^ /'.'/ /■ ■■' UK ' ■'id' BIDDLESTON. 245 probably due to the repeated confiscation of the Selby lands. The late Dr. Hardy, in his "Notes concerning the Parish of Oxna?n" 3 when speaking of Sir William Wishart, of Plender- leith, states : — " From the Rolls of Scotland we ascertain that Sir W'm. Wishart was displaced b}' Edward Baliol, who con- ferred a charter of Plenderlath, dated October 24, 1332, on Sir Walter Selby, the second of the Selbys of Biddleston. Walter Selby the second was a daring but unprincipled man, who sold his services to the highest bidder, being, as Lord Hailes describes him, ' both a robber and a warrior, alternately plundeiing and defending his countr\-.' He and Walter de Middleton were at the head of the broken men of Northum- berland, who were in the pay of Robert I. of Scotland, and who b>' his direction waylaid at Rushyford, in 13 17, two cardinals, the Pope's nuncios, and deprived them of the Bulls and secret instructions for excommunicating Scotland ; and imprisoned Louis de Beaumont, Bishop elect of Durham, in Morpeth Castle, and his brother, Henry de Beaumont, in Middleton's castle of Mitford, till they were ransomed." During the next year, 13 18, the Scots surprised and took Mitford Castle, and entrusted it to their old ally, Walter de Selby. He, however, on promise of a full pardon from Edward H., delivered it up to Robert de Umfraville, I'larl of Angus. Notwithstanding this, his manor of Seghill, held by the .service of acting as steward in the hall of Tynemouth on .St. Oswin's Day, continued to be confi.scated. After this he espou.sed the quarrel of Edward Baliol, from whom he received, as already stated, the grant of the lands and tenements of I'rendcrlath, which he retained until 1341 or our Lady, at Selon Dt-lavalt, \silh the conscnl of John Dclavalc, cmj., now patron of the said chantry, let.s lo farm lo rcrcevall Selhy, of I{yttlis|). 71, 74- 3 Hist. H.N.C., vol. xi., ]). 127. 246 UPPER COQUETDALE. 1342, when Sir Alexander Ramsay captured Roxburgh Castle, and relieved the sheriffdom from English thraldom. In October, 1342, the brave Sir Walter de Selby, refusing to surrender the " Pyle " of Liddell to David II., n^as, after with- standing a six days' siege, taken in the storm of the castle, and ordered to instant execution. His son, James de Selby, was long detained a prisoner in Scotland, but appears to have been the possessor of Biddleston during the reign of Richard II. (1377- 1399), from whom the present owners derive their descent. In 141 5 Biddleston Tower was described as "Turris de Bidilstan Johannus Selby." In the list of Border Holds of 1509, Biddleston Tower was held by John Selby and a garrison of 20 men. At the muster of able men with horse and harness, that took place on Robert's Law for Coquetdale and Redewater, in April, 1538, there were present five Biddleston Selbys — Perceval, Christopher, Cuthbert, Oliver, and James. The Border Survey of 1541 says: — "At Byttylsden ys a toure, & barmek}-n of the Inherytance of Percyvall Selb\', esqui, in good repa'cons, & nere unto the same ys an other lytle toure at a place called the Cotte walles in measurable good repa'cons of the said p'cyvall Selbyes Inherytaunce." The lower portion of the walls of Biddleston tower yet exists, on which the family chapel of the Selbys was built, about the beginning of the nineteenth century. While some alterations were being made a few years ago, a secret passage was dis- covered in the thickness of the wall. The tower is 42 feet from east to west, and 32 feet from north to south. The original walls were 6 feet thick. A built-up doorway at the ground level in the east wall gave access to the stone-vaulted basement. Magna Brittannia, 1720, thus describes Biddleston: — "This Place about the Reign of Queen Elizabeth was the Estate and- seat of the Worshipful Family of the Selbys, of whom William Selb}', the younger, was Sheriff of this county 45 Eliz. Sir BIDDLESTON. 247 George Selby, Kt., 5 Jac. I., Sir Ralph Selby, Kt., 1 1 Jac. I., and Sir William Selby, Kt., 14 Jac. I. "4 Interesting mention is made of Biddleston Tower in a modern Border ballad written by Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, giving a description of a raid of the Kerrs, of Cessford, into Coquetdale, in the September of 1549 : — " Their armour was light, but their brands were bright, And their bonnets were steel across the crown, And whenever they spied an Englishman, They gallop'd at him and put him down. Ride light, ride light, my kinsmen true, Till aince the daylight close her ee' ; If we can pass the Biddleston Tower, A harried Warden there shall be. He reaved the best of my brother's steeds. And slew his men on the Five-stane Brae ; I'd lay my head this night in pawn To dri%e his boasted beaves away. For at Thropton he has a goodly herd Just newly come fra the low countrye, And at Rotbury there are a hunder head All fat and fair on Rimside Lee. The weary wounded Scots went on. Still with their drove, full hard bested ; For word had gone to Biddleston Tower That waken'd the Ca[)tain from his bed. He mounted his horse and gallop'd forth, His troopers gathering at the word ; .And the first man that he met with Was Inirly Tam of Mosslnirnford. Turn, Captain of Biddleston, turn and flee! Thy arm was never a match for mine, I'll hold at bay thy men and thee Till I'm across the Border line. ■•The list of freeholders of 1628 gives Alexander Selby, of Biltleslon, escj.; Oeorge Selby, of Coalwalls, gent. And the list of 163S, William Seliiy, of Bitlles- ton, esq. ; Thomas Selby. of Coalwalls, gent.; Ceorge Selby, of Coalwalls, gent. 24^ UPPER COQUETDALE. There shall thou never be again, Thou miscreated burly bear ; Have at thee now, for fight or feign, ril have thy head upon this spear. He rade at Tain with furious aim, Thinking to run his Ijody through. But little dream'd of the left hand skelp That nickit the Captain clean in two." The Selbys intermarried with many of the old local families of note. They \vei"e allied b}^ marriage with the Haggerstones, Fenwicks, Ogles, Greys, Clennells, Claverings, Herons, Widdringtons, and Collingwoods. A brave and warlike t"ace, the Biddleston family were invariably mixed up in all Border troubles, and few of the heads of the house died in their beds. In the great civil war they espoused the cause of Charles I., for which they suffered heavily by fines and sequestrations ; and in the Jacobite Rising of 171 5 they were found in the thick of it, along with their friends the Collingwoods of Eslington, the Claverings of Callaly, the Talbots of Cartington, and other Northum- brian families. On the afternoon of Friday, October 6th, 171 5, Ephraim Selby, of Biddleston, and his steward were amongst the Coquetdale men who met the Earl of Derwent- water and the Tynedale Jacobites on Plainfield Moor. During the French War, at the beginning of the last centur}', the name of Thos. Selby appears as captain of a troop in the Royal Cheviot Legion Cavalry in 1803 ; in 1805 he was a captain in the Coquetdale Rangers, a body of volun- teer cavalry raised in the district, and his son Thos. Selby was, at the same time, a lieutenant in the Cheviot Legion. Whilst still keeping up the traditions of this old Border family, another Thos. Selby, of the Northumberland Hussars, the great grandson of Captain Thos. Selby, of the Coquetdale Rangers, received the war medal for service rendered at the front, in the ranks of the Imperial Light Horse, during the late African campaign. BIDDLESTON. 249 The Selbys of Biddleston, in b}'gone times, were buried in the Parish Church of Ahvinton, members of the famil}- during the last century being laid in the family vault beneath the chancel ;5 but the late squire, Walter Charles Selb)', who died in 1900, leaxing an heir to the estates, was buried in a piece of ground, specially consecrated for the purpose, in a sweet sequestered spot, amid the sylvan surroundings of his ancestral park at Biddleston. ^ The residents in Biddleston Township in 1828 were: — "Walter Selby, Esq., Biddleston House; Rev. James Abbot, Catholic Priest ; Thomas Anderson, steward to W. Selby, Esq. Farmers : George Brewes, Newton ; Andrew Brown, Battlesheel haugh; Robert Harbot, Rookland ; Robert Storer, Coat Walls ; Thomas Walby, Elelaw ; William Wanless, Bid- dleston ; Matthew Young, Puncherton."7 The following are amongst the most interesting field names around Biddleston : — Dove Cote Paddock (Biddleston), Humbleton Hill, Steel Pike (Elilaw), West Bar Acres, PLast Bar Acres, South Bar Acres, Cocklaw Bush (Netherton), Lady Acre ^Biddleston Edge), Cuttle Side Knowe, Winlinton How (Newton). It may be of interest to our readers to know the prices our forefathers obtained for their farm [)roduce in Coquetdale some eighty years ago : — " Prices of Farming Produce, 1824. Wheat ... ... 14/- per new ]3oll. Oats 18/- „ old Boll. Barley 20/- ,, old l^oll. 5 Sec yXIwinton Church, Nolc 2. ''A neat marble cro.ss marks the spot, and contains the simple inscription : — "Walter Charles Selby, Died .March 5th, 1900, Aged 41. Kcf|iiiescat in I'ace." r.ir'.MTi niiil Wliitr, \(i\. ii., ]i. 454. 250 UPPER COQUETDALE. Wool — Laid, 15/6 and 16/6; White, 26/- and 27/- per stone of 24lb.s. Beef — 5/6 per stone of I4lbs. Mutton-^5/iO per stone of I4lbs." Population of Biddleston Township. 1801 — 186. 181 1 — 184. 1821— 166. 1841 — 140. 1851 — 182. 1861 — 198. 1881 — 157. 1891 — 156. 1901 — 112. 1831— 156. 1871 — 121. BIDDLESTON CHAPEL. 25 I CHAPTER XVII. BIDDLESTON CHAl'EL. Chapel built on walls of old tower — Selbys true to the fiiith of their forefathers — Oldest Mission in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle — Kept up by the Selbys — Extract from "The Northern Catholic Calendar" — Roman Catholic Recusants, 1677 - List of Papists in Ahvinton Parish, 1715-1745 — Names of a few of the Biddleston Chaplains. OUR illustration shows the south-east view of the Chapel at Biddleston, built, as alread)' stated, about the begin- ning of the last century, upon the walls of the old border pele, and incorporated with the modern mansion, a portion of which is seen on the left. The Selbys have ever remained true to the faith of their ancestors. A Ralph de Selby died a monk at Westminster in 1420 ; one of the members of the family became a nun in a convent at Liege, and Biddleston has always been the chief centre of the Roman Catholics in Upper Coquetdale. It is a chaplainc}-, said to be the oldest mission in the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, which has been kept up for centuries at the sole cost of the Selb\'s ; it also serves as a mission for a wide, but not populous district. " The Northern Catholic Calendar'' of 1884 says: — " It is, as far as is known, the oldest mission in the Diocese, dating at least as far back as the XIII. century — three hundred years before the fatal " reformation." There has been no " reff)rmation " here — ncj apostacy — no change of creed — no interruption of the jjcrpetual sacrifice. The famil}- has " kept the I'aith," as well as its name and estates, through ages of persecution and penal law — in spite of allurements of coiut honours or state emoluments, it was Catholic in the Xlllth century — it is Catholic in the XIXlli." 252 UPPER COQUET DALE, In the list of "Roman Catholic Recusants"- returned for Upper Coquetdale in 1677, are the names of "Thomas Selby of Bittleston, Esq., Charles Selby of Farnham, yeoman, Thomas Clennall of Clennall, Esq., Mary Hall, de eadam, spinster, Robert Browne of Allanton, yeo."2 At the time of the Jacobite Rising of 171 5 the terms Papist and Jacobite were, in the eyes of the Government, almost s\-nonymous. Lists of Papists were presented by the high constables of the various wards at each quarter sessions. The names given below are found in the Session Records for August, 1 7 1 5 : — " A List of ye Papists' names of Allington Parish and Halleystone, August ye 19th, 171 5. P^phraim Selby, Mr. Robert King, George Rutherford, John Reed, Thomas Rutter, John Grey, John Sprote, William Walles, Alexander Luke, John Brown, Thomas Davison, P^ranke Scott, all in Bittlestone. Alexander Rutherford, Thomas Potts in Borrowtown. Mr. James Selby in Allington. John Jameson, Marke Scott in Harbottle. John Robson in P'oxton. George Stewert in Halleystone. John Gardner in P'airnham." This system of espionage was again revived at the rising of the supporters of Charles Stuart in 1745, when the follow- ing list of local names was presented by Andrew Bell, High Constable : — " A List of the Papeses in Coquet Dale, west Division, 1745 ■■— John Robson in Fairnham, farmer, aged 25. William Reed in Puncherton, farmer, aged 60. Thomas Stamp in Xetherton, }-eoman, aged 50. John Trombell in Xetherton, farmer, aged 50. John Peary in Coat Walls, yeom., aged 45. 'Recusants — "Roman Catholics who refused to sulmiit to the discipline of the Church of England." — Bailey, 1749 - Depositions from York Castle. Siirt. Soc. publ., p. 228. BIDDLESTON CHAPEL. 253 Mark Scott in Boreton, yeom.. aged 80. Luke Rutherford in Boreton, yeom., aged 40. Robert Grey in Bittleston, yeom., aged 40. William Gray of the same, yeom., aged 45. Charles Brown in Bittleston, yeom., aged 55. John Scott in Bittleston, aged 40. John Gray in Bittleston, yeom., aged 60. John Sprot in Bittleston, }-eom., aged 70. Thomas Sprot in Biddleston, yeom., aged 40. Mr. Thomas Smith in Bittleston, Gent., aged 50. Andrew Rutherford in Alenton, farmer, aged 30. Mr. Thomas Selb\' in Alenton, Gent., aged 50. Mr. Charles Selby in Elilaw, Gent., aged 50. \\'illiam Dickeson in Alenton, \-eom., aged 50. Persevel Horsley in Lin Brig, yeom., aged 60. William Horsley in Lin Brig, yeom., aged 26. W^illiam Dodd in Harbottell, yeoman, aged 45. John White in Woodhall, }-eoman, aged 25. Robert White in Woodhall, yeoman, aged 22. John Gordon in Holystone, yeoman. Fra!icis Scott in Bittleston, yeoman, aged 70."3 In early times, and in the "dark clays of persecution," the Mission was served by the Jesuit Fathers, amongst whom was Father Robert Widdrington, who, towards the end of the seventeenth century, and early part of the eighteenth, was stationed at Biddleston and Long Horsley. The following is a very incomplete list of its subsequent |)riests : — Father Robert Widdrington. Rev. Thomas Durham (alias Collingwood), ob. ... 1725 Rev. Pennevim, ob. ... ... ... ... ... 1747 Rev. Xaylor... ... ... ... ...occurs 181 1 'The above list contains the names only of those belonging to the parish of Alwinton with Holystone, and who probal)ly altundod the services at Biddleston. John Grey, a de.scendant of one of the families mentioned, still resides at Biddle- stone. -\=i4 UPPER COQUETDALE. Rev. James Abbot occurs 1828 Rev. Thomas Hogget, ob. 1886 1841-1886 Rev. Henry Cartmel (now at Whittingham) 1886- 1889 Rev. W. Drysdale 1889-1891 Rev. Robert Henry Kerr 1903 ^;ETHERTON. 255 CHAPTER XVIII. NETHERTON. Present Owners — Village of Ancient Origin — One of the "ten towns of Coquet- dale " owing service to Harbottle Castle — Netherton men at the muster on Robert's Law, 1538 — Sir Edward Widdrington and Cuthbert Collingwood the proprietors, 1663 — William Smart, freeholder, 1747 — Its Early Owners, 1320, 1327, 1346 — Names of Inhabitants, 1828 — Netherton to-day — Once famous for its Cockpits — Merry Nights and other Gatherings — The Old Mill — Village Characters, their sayings and their doings — The " Eggler kirns," his eggs and butler — The Carrier " droons" the goose — A Pun on Surnames — Presenta- tion to Squire Selby in 1845 — Population. NETHERTON is a well-known little village on the northern confines of Upper Coquetdale. It stands on the outskirts of the parish of Alwinton, and its lands march with those of Alnham on the north and Rothburv on the south. That portion of the village known as the "North Side" has been for many years in the possession of the Selbys of Biddleston. The " South Side," after passing through the hands of various owners, now forms part of the Cragside estate. The village is of ancient origin, and from its low- lying situation between the mountain streams, Netherton burn and the Rithe, its name might be construed as the " lower town." Netherton first appears as one of the " ten towns of Coquetdale " which have already been referred to. Not only did it furnish its quota of men to Harbottle Castle in the days of the Umfravilles, but a number of men out of Netherton is recorded in the muster rc^ll of armed men, who, in 153S, met on Robert's Law,' an eminence witliin a mile of the village. Netherton was also the rallying point of the Upper Coquetdale volunteers on the night of the " I^'al.se Alarm," January 31st, ' See complete list on j). 171. 256 UPPER COQUKTDAI.E. 1804. In 1663, Sir Edward Widdrington and Mr. Cuthbert Collingwood were the owners of part of Netherton ; and in 1747, William Smart, of Belford, is a freeholder in Netherton. Orii/>er/a/i Arch. yKliana, vol. xiv., p. 44. • "■ .Margaret Horsley, daughter of Roger Horsley, of "Thernham," aged 19, in 1544, married Cuthbert Carnahy, of Aydon, son of William Carnahy, of Halton. 268 UPPER COQUETDALE. of this Stronghold of the Horsleys that now remains is the circular stone-lined well seen in the plantation on the north side of the present farm-house. Sir Wm. Carnaby of Farnham occurs in the freeholders' list of 1628, Wm. Potts of Farnham, gent, in 1638. Mrs. Jane Carnaby, Michael Pott, Mark Pott, and Sir Edwd. VViddrington were owners in Farnham township in 1663, the proprietors of Sharperton at the same time being the Marquis of Newcastle, William Hall, Roger Pott, George Pott, and Cuthbert Rotherford ; " Shipbanks " and Newhall being also the property of the Marquis of Newcastle. In the list of freeholders of 1721 is found the name of William Potts of Farnham, Gent. Eventually, Farnham was purchased b)- the Clennells of Harbottle Castle, and now forms a portion of the Harbottle Estate. In a Survey of the Ogle lands in Northumberland, made in 1724, Sharperton is thus described : — "Sharperton Township, in Parish of Holly-stone, consists of II Farms,io whereof 33^ belong to Ld. Oxford. Pays Tythe in kind and a modus for Hay. Limestone on the ground. Three miles from Cole." Improveable by dividing with the Freeholders and Inclosing. Freeholders — Wm. Charlton, Mrs. Potts, the poor of Rothbury,i2 Wm. Storrer, Geo. Potts." "Sharperton. — Geo. Potts, House and garth; Wm. Charlton, House ; Storrers, House and croft ; Mrs. Potts, Michael Hall, The Haugh, Westfield Edge Pasture, Ebry Field lessr, Ebry Field greater, Cocklaw Field and Dean Bank, Holly-stone Haugh, Part of Ditto East of the River ;i3 '"Within the last few years the term "farm" has been found to have had a very different meaning from the present general acceptation of the word, and further, that every township or lordship was divided into so many equal ]xirts, each part being termed a "farm." For a fuller account of these ancient divisions of land, we refer our readers to an able paper in Arclucologia .■Eliana, vol. xvi., p. 121, entitled "The Ancient Farms of Northumberland," by Frederick Walter Dendy. " Three miles from a coal pit. '= Property left by Dr. John Thomlinson, Rector of Rothbury, in 1720. '3 Some of the modern field names at Sharperton are— Cocklaw, Fryer's Bog, Ladyship Field, Clogg Lands, Fausit. SHARPERTON, FARNHAM, AND SHIRMONEDSDEN. 269 Total, 768 acres 3 roods 24 perches. Tenants — Michael Hall, I farm ; \Vm. Charlton, i farm ; Mary Potts, ^ farm ; Geo. Potts, I farm ; W'm. Storrer, ]^ farm— 3^ farms." "Sheep Bank.S, belonging formerly to Sharperton, the Pasture, House and fold, 94 acres 3 roods 05 perches." " New Hall FAR^L — Broad Meadow, Hall butts and the bank. East End and White Close, 122 acres i rood 07 perches. Christopher Bolam, Tenant." In 1828 the farmers and others in Sharperton and Farn- hamwere: Michael Aynsley, High Farnham; John Nicholson, Low Farnham ; John Dixon and William Redhead, Sharper- ton ; John Kirkup, tailor, Sharperton. ^4 Sharperton now consists of two farmhouses and cottages, one in the occupation of Mr. Geo. Turnbull, the other of the Messrs. Redhead, in whose famil}- it has been for several generations. There is also a Post Office, and the steam sawmill of Mr. George Robinson. The population of the township of Sharperton, 1 80 1 to 1 90 1 : — 1 801 — 99. 181 1 — 74. 1851—39- 1861—59. 1821 — 107. 1 87 1— 79. 1901 — 51. 1831 — 105. 1881— 74. 184I- 1891- -89. -62. The old freehold of the Potts has for many years been in the possession of the Dodds family of Sharperton and Har- bottle Peels. Mr. Robert Milbuni is also the owner of a ^'"" freehold; the remain- der belongs to Mr. 1. !•'. Fenwicke-Clenncll. The ruined hou.se of the Potts is still standing, and on the doorhead is to be .seen, ■< Pnrson and While, 1828. 270 UFM'ER COC)UETr)ALE. f*# 903 cut in quaint seventeenth century letters, the initials: — G P. E P. 1675. ROGER POTS, of which we give, on previous page, a drawing, A stone, now a window-sill in the adjoining cottage" contains the letters — A P. S P. 1667. On the doorhead of a more modern house adjoining are the letters — H. D. 1780 ■ — as shown in the illustration, probably the initials of Henry Dodds, whose name is found in the Poll Book for 1774. James Dodds voted for the same freehold in 1826. There is a carved stone, that bears the mark of antiquity, built into the wall of the sawmill. It is apparently the head and bust of a female, with a sort of hood over the head, and was discovered in a stone fence at Sharperton, and built into the sawmill by Mr. Geo. Robinson. A delightful and well known view of the upper valley of the Coquet is obtained from the summit of Sharperton Bank. In front are seen the sparkling waters of the Coquet winding a tortuous course through the flat haugh-lands of " The Peels " and Woodhall, with the castle mound and the village of Harbottle just visible amongst their woody surroundings, having the green heights of Lord's Seat, Shilhope Law, On the left lying low in a corner of the valley, under the sheltering woods of Campville, the heathery hills of Yardhope, Dews Hill, and Woodhouses stretching along the western banks of the Coquet, forming one of those charming bits of hill scenery for which Upper Coquetdale is so famous. A pleasant foot-path leads through the fields overlooking the Coquet, from the top of Sharperton Bank to Holystone. In this locality may be gathered Pyrola and Kidland towering in the back-ground is the village of Holystone SHARPERTON, FARNHAM, AND SHIRMONDESDEN. 2/1 media. Grass of Parnassus, Musk INIallow, Marsh Cinquefoil, Meadow Saxifrage, Great Bell-flower, Cow Wheat, Vicia lathyroides, Miinulus luieus, Plantago media, and many other interesting plants. The river here, with its attractive pools, has ever been the favourite haunt of the angler, and the streams on Holystone haugh have for generations been the *' happy hunting ground " of the knights of the " low and the leister." The writer himself, one night in the month of November, counted a dozen lights on the water, between Sharperton bridge and Dews Hill wood, when there were probably five or six bands of salmon poachers at work. "At Shilmore they're guid at the mennim ; At Felton they're guid at the flee ; Lang Rothbury's streams for the brandlin' ; But Weldon, old Weldon for me ; The Sharperton codgers are cunnin' ; At Thropton they're guid at a thraw ; But up wi' the bonnie red heckle — The heckle that tackled them a' ! " ( Coqiietdale Fishing Soiig, iSjo.) SHIRMONDESDEN. The seven Coquetdale manors belonging to the xA.lnwick barony, viz.: — Alwinton, Clennell, Biddleston, Xetherton, Bur- radon, Sharperton, and Farnham, are all on the north side of the Coquet, while the lands of the Redesdale lordship lay on the south side of the river. The De Vescies and the early Percies held no lands on the south side, therefore the extinct manor of " Shirmondesden "'5 must have been on the north side. The manor consisted of a village, two corn mills, and 820 acres of land ; and, judging from the descriptions found in various documents relating to the manor, it appears to have been in the vicinity of Harbottle Castle. Most of liic lands in and arounrl Harbottle have already been accounted for, with the exception of the tract lying between Park House and '5 This iManor is variously rendered— Shaumundeston, 1290; Thirnymcsden, 1315 ; Shirmnndesdon, 1379; Shirmoundcnc, 1387; Cliermondcn, 138S; Schir- niounden, 1391 ; Sherniington, Charinglon, 1604. 272 UPPER COQUETDALE. Sharperton. We are of the opinion that this extinct manor is now represented in the lands stretching to the north from Harbottle Peels towards Newton. The late Mr. Cadvvallader Bates, after much research and careful study of the locality, came to the conclusion that this was, in all probability, the " Shirmondesden " of the De Vesci barony. Mr. Jas. Nichol, of London, who is well acquainted with Upper Coquet, and has for some time been endeavouring to locate this ancient manor, is also of the opinion that it consisted of that stretch of land lying to the north of Harbottle Peels, towards Newton, a woody tract, which includes Brown Rig Planta- tion, " now sacred to foxes and pheasants." This plot of land slopes down to Foxton burn, and in the plantation are seen large heaps of stones and debris ; these, from their proximity to the stream, may be the remains of a mill, or the ruins of New Hall — another extinct place-name, which appears to have been at a later period mixed up with Shirmondesden. Several boundary stones are yet standing on the surrounding moor^ having N.H. for New Hall on one side, and E. for Biddleston Edge on the other. The following entry, found in The Survey of Border Lands, i6o^ (Sanderson), doubtless refers to this manor when describing the demesne lands belonging to Harbottle Castle : — " CUBEDALE. The easte parte conteyneth, beinge of the parke Shermington, sometymes a towneshippe, 820 acres " (p. 105). And, in detailing the " Tenn Townes in Cubedale," the Sm'vey says : " No. 10, Charington, sometymes a towne- ship, and nowe used as a demeane to Harbotle, and theriii valued" (p. 117), HOLYSTONE. 2/3 CHAPTER XXI. HOLYSTONE. An Ancient Yillage — Its situation — Relics of Early Times — Part of Redesdale Lordship — Umfraville founds a Benedictine Priory — Proprietors in 1663 — Subsequent Owners — The Lady's Well — The Priory — Nuns' Close — St. Mungo's Well — Marjorie, the Prioress, does homage to Edward I., 1296 — Priory Seal — Impoverished by the Scots, I3ii^\'alue at the Dis.sohition, 1536 — Church of St. Mary the Mrgin — Grave Slabs — Quaint Tombstones — Bell — Communion Plate — Stained Windows — Campville— Romantic Ravine — Rob Roys Cave— Dove Crag — Fairies — Flora — Scenery — The Salmon Inn — Mill Race— Old Mill — Holystone of the Past — Its Houses and Inhabitants — Its Characters —Ned Allan — Description of Ned, 1820— Ned's Epitaph. THE quaint old village of Holy.stone is pleasantly situated in a secluded corner of Upper Coquetdale on the eastern margin of that wide range of moorland hills stretching between Coquetdale and Redesdale, whose heathery ridges in the turbulent days of yore were frequently stained with the brave blood of the hardy borderers living in this portion of the " debateable land." The annals of Holystone carry us a long way back in the pages of the history of Northumbria — traces of the ancient Briton, the Roman occupation, the Saxon period, and relics of the middle ages are to be found there, while tradition and story linger around every foothold of its soil. The village consists of about a dozen houses, besides the church and school, it is seven miles west from Rothbur)-, and stands on the sc^uthern bank of the river Coquet. It is sheltered on the north by " Harcmoor Law," with the upland moors of Holystone "Common" rising on the south. Ihc houses, twenty years ago, were mostly thatched, but these gradually gave way to the present neat modern buildings, which are more in keeping with our ideas of health and comfort. Like all rjjd villages, each house .seems to lia\c been built just where the convenience or fancy of the builder 18 274 UPPER COQUETDALE. suggested, without any attempt at order or uniformity, and this gives the village a more picturesque appearance than it would have had under the rules of a Local Board. Holystone and the lands south of the Coquet were included in the great lordship of Redesdale, which for centuries was held by the Umfravilles of Harbottle Castle. After the dissolution of monasteries. Holystone is found to have been in the hands of various owners. In 1663, the proprietors were Robt. Pott, Geo. Pott, and Mr. (Thos.) Selby, who also held the rectory and the mill. Geo. Pott was at the same time the owner of " Lentern Cleugh " (Lanternside). After passing through the hands of the Selbys of Biddleston, Dawsons of Alnwick, Forsters of Lanternside, Smarts of Trewhitt, Clennells of Harbottle, and Wilkinson of Sunderland, it is now the property of Mr. F. W. Rich of Hepple Woodhouses. One of the great attractions for visitors to Holystone is the " Lady's Well," a spring of beautiful water in a grove of fir trees, a little north of the village.^ The well is a quad- rangular basin within a neatly kept enclosure ; the key of the gate can be obtained at the Salmon Inn. A notice board informs the visitor that "In this fountain called the ' Lady's Well,' on the introduction of Christianity, in the Saxon reign of Edwin, and early in the seventh century, Paulinus, an English Bishop, baptized about 3,000 people. Some remains of a priory for six or eight Benedictine Nuns, to which this well belonged, are still to be seen in the adjacent village of Holystone." A stone statue of an ecclesiastic, originally brought from Alnwick Castle, formerly stood in the centre of the well, but a few years ago this was removed and placed at the west end of the pool, and a cross of stone bearing the following inscription was substituted : — + IN THIS PLACE PAVLINVS THE BISHOP BAPTIZED THREE THOVSAND NORTHVMBRIANS EASTER DCXXVII + ' The spring is said to discharge 560 gallons a minute. •fi-'^ •' *- ■ ■■'■ HOLYSTONE. 2/5 Of the Benedictine priory of Holystone there remains to-day scarcely a vestige. Only in the roadwaj's in some parts of the village, more especially near the church, large stones are visible, evidently old foundations, from which we may infer that the church was probablx' within the precincts of the priory. An arch in the mill stable may be part of the domestic buildings of the priory. One or two place-names in the neighbourhood are distinct mementos of the monastic age :— " The Xuns' Close," a field on the adjoining farm of Low Farnham, and " St. Mungo's Well," on the south bank of Holystone burn, opposite to the church. It is of some interest to trace the route of the Glasgow saint, Kentigern, on his way to St. Asaph, by the names attached to wells throughout the count}'. Somewhere near Wooler there is a " Mungo's Well ; " we have " St. Mungo's Well " at Holystone ; and at Simon- burn, on North Tyne, there is also " St. Mungo's Well." The beautiful well at Holystone, known to us as " The Lady's Well," also described as " The Well of St. Paulinus," was formerly "St. Xinian's Well." There appears, therefore, to ha\"e been from \"ery early times a religious halo around Holystone ; and no doubt the pious Umfra\ille of seven centuries ago, attracted b\' the situation and the sanctity of the spot, the abundant supply f)f pure water, and its close proximit)' to the ri\er Coquet, made choice of this romantic spot amid the hills of Lpper Coquet for the founding of the convent. Besides the lands around Holystone, the sisterhood held gifts of land in \-arious parts of the count}', as well as houses in Newcastle. In 1429, Roger Thornton of Newcastle devi.sed in his will one fother of lead to the nuns of Hol}'- stane. Of those black-robed nuns, who li\cd their li\cs in the solitudes of the cloisters at Holystone, we have very few records. No cartulary of Holystone is known to exist, there- fore information is scant. Wc rc.ifl in the Nczoi/iiiistcr Ccw- tulary that an exchange fjf land in ("oquetdale took place in 1272, between Agnes, I'rion.vss of Halistan, and .Adam, 2-6 UPPER COQUETDALE. the Abbt)t of Ncwminster. In 1296, Marjorie, Prioress of Halistane, did homage to Edward I. at Berwick, and signed Ragmans Roll, to which a seal is attached, described thus : — " Seal of Halistane : Vescia shape, in a compartment repre- senting a church with central tower, the Virgin crowned, and hoi}' child ; beneath is a nun praying. The inscription on the seal is: ' T\- \IRGENIS FILI SVCCERE MARIE> This seal, with others, is on a fragment of Homage, of which nothing remains but the place, Berwick-on-Tweed, and the year, 14 seals in Green wax appended on 5 strings (Ragmans Roll^ m. 34)." — Cliron. and Meiiih. Scotland iJ^dXxi), vol. 2, p. 534. " On the nones [the 5111] of Feb. 131 1[-2] the bishop granted the appropriation of the churches of ' Crossanset ' [Corsenside] and Hol)'stone, with the vicarage of Harbottle which is accustomed to be served by a perpetual vicar, to Holystone,, on account of the impoverishment of the nuns owing to the frequent wars, and what was worse, the repeated depreda- tions and burnings of the Scots, for the reception of guests and the sustentation of the poor and other works of charity^ and he consolidates and unites the said churches and the chapel of Harbottle, to the nunnery for ever, saving the rights and liberties of the church of Durham and successors^ but lest the cure of souls should be neglected it was ordered that a rector or fit master should be appointed, Richard Umfra\-ille being patron of the monastery. On the 7 Feb. in the first year of his pontificate [13 1 2], the bishop issued his mandate to the archdeacon of Northumberland, to induct the nuns of Holystone into the vicarage of Harbottle.3 On the 6 June, 1 3 13, letters testimonial were issued by the bishop' ^ Which may be rendered thus : " Thou Son of the Virgin Mary, help us !" 3 There appears to have been a church outside the walls of Harbottle Castle,. besides the chapel within the walls. A stone font and other remains were found a few years ago in the garden of the present mansion. There is also a record of a son of the Unifravilles having been baptized in the "Church of the Vill," on which occasion Unifraville sent his men to meet a Scotch bishop at " Kemyelspethe: Walles," at the head of Coquet. HOLYSTONE. 2// ^vith reference to the miserable state of the nuns owine to the hostile incursions of the Scots daily and continually. In 1342 the bishop issued a commission to Edmund Howard, archdeacon of Northumberland, and John de Hir- lawe, perpetual vicar of St. Nicholas', Newcastle, to inquire as to the election, b}' the unanimous consent of the nuns, of Elizabeth de Sussex as prioress, it being vacant b\- reason of the death of Margery de Horsle)^ the preceding prioress, and if dul}' approved to instal her."4 Spearman gives the following note of Holystone : — "Escheats I'^t, Edward ist, 1272. The Prioress of Holy- ston held Holyston, Corsenhope, & Tenthill in free alms & no service to the Pro\ince of Redesdale, she also holds 40/ Lands in Kestren in free alms and no service. Same year, Hospital Alwinton holds Mill & Farm of Sudbury, Gift of Philip, Bishop of Durham, & 20/ in free alms and no service and confirmed by the King." At the dissolution of religious houses in 1536 there were eight nuns at Holystone ; the house was valued at i^i i 5s. yd. (Dugdale), ;^I5 los. 8d. (Speed). Amongst its prioresses whose names are recorded in various documents, we find Agnes, 1272, Marjorie, 1296, Margery de Horsley, 1342, Elizabeth de Sussex, 1342. Hoi.\SToxK Cnrurii. The r'hurch of Holystone, rebuilt in 1848, consists of nave, and chancel, and is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. There is every reason to suppose, from strfictural remains, as well as from documentary evidence, that originall}' a Nr)rman church sto(jd on the present site. The lower portions of the na\e walls are ancient. The original w indow-sills are yet seen /;/ .svV// about two feet beneath the new ones in the south wall ; and built into the south wall of the chancel arc three sculptured grave slabs, |)rol)abl\- connncmorating some ■• I'roc. S. 54. 278 UPPER COQUETDALE. of the princely Umfravilles, who for centuries reigned as petty kings in Coquetdale and Redesdale. On the north side of the chancel is a large stone coffin and cover, entire, found at the restoration of 1848; this, through the pious care of the vicar, Aislabie Procter, was allowed to remain untouched. Two old headstones, having rudely cut crosses, stand in the churchyard amid others of seventeenth and eighteenth century quaintness. A stone pillar, standing at the door of the church, has evidently been the pedestal of a sundial. Several interest- ing tombstones lie on the floor of the church near the font. One is that of Wm. Pot, and his wife, Elinor Pot, of Farnham, the Pots being a leading family in the parish some three centuries ago. Turbulent parishioners they must have been ; one member of the family was summoned before the High Court of Commission at Durham for brawling in Alwinton Church. Another was rendered notorious by giving evidence against King Charles I. Traces of the same family are found at Hepple Woodhouses, Yardhope, Lanternside, and Sharp- erton. The other refers to a member of an old and honourable Northumbrian family, the VViddringtons. A branch of this family had possession of Cartington, one of whom was some time resident at Harbottle Castle as deput}' warden of the Marches. The Widdringtons were the owners of Linsheels Farm, two miles above Alwinton, and in the Harbottle Rentals of 1618 we find under " Rents of ^Assize of P"reeholders " that Roger Widdrington, Esq., pays xviiid. for Linsheels with Lathalghe, to be paid at the feast of St. Cuthbert in summer and St. Cuthbert in winter. The feast of St. Cuthbert in winter is held on the 20th of March, being the date of his death. The feast of St. Cuthbert in summer is on the 4th September, the date of the translation of his body from its temporary resting place to the stone church built at Durham b\- Bishop Aldune in 999, and dedicated to St. Cuthbert. Copies of both inscriptions are given on following page. HOLYSTONE. 2/9 HERE - LYETH - TH E - BODY - OF - WILLIA M - POT - OF - FARNH AM - IVLY - THE - 28 - AN - D - 1650 - AND - HIS - WIFE - ELINOR POT - NOVEMBER HERE LYETH THE BODY OF MR ROGER WIDDRINGTON OF HARBOTTLE DYED THE 30 DAY OF DECEM- BER 1671. The bell that hangs in the cot at the west end of the gable bears the following inscription: "To the Parish of Hallystone, The gift of Percival Clennell, of Harbottle, Esq., Second son of the late Luke Clennell, of Clennell, Esq., Deceased, A.D. I788."5 The communion plate of Holystone consists of chalice, paten, and flagon of siher, of modern date and of medieval design, each piece with five hall-marks: i., lion p.g. ; ii., leop. h; iii., London date letter 1R for 1852; iv., queen's head; and v., maker's initials, LK; and a brass alms dish. I. Chalice, 7^ inches high, 3^ dia. at mouth, at base of cup I H C. Inscribed round edge of base: "The Gift of Gerard Handaside to the Church of Hoh-stone. Anno dni. 1735. Remodelled Anno dni. 1853." II. P.VTEN, with monogram I 11 C. in centre. Around underside the inscription: "This paten, with a flagon and alms dish, part of a valued testimonial from his Parishioners, is dedicated to the Service of God in Ilolwstone Church, by Aislabie Procter, B.A., Vicar of AKvinton and Holystone, as a thankoffering for the success vouchsafed to his exertion in the Restoration of the Churches of Alwinton and Hol>'stone. Ann') dni. 1853." III. l*"L.\(i(j.\, 12 inches high to top nf lid, \cr)- narrow in proportion tf) height. Around the widest part the inscription: 5 Wilson's Churches of Limlisfarnc, p. lOO. There is some discrciiancy in the flate said to he on the bell of Holystone Church, as Percivall Clennell died al Harlwttle in 1796, and was the fifth son of Luke Clennell of Clennell.— ^/w/V/Zf// Register . 28o UI'PKR CO(,)UETI)ALE. *Glor\- l)c to God on High.' On the bottom: "Dedicated, with a paten, to the Service of God, at the Altar of Holystone Church. Anno dni. 1853." W. Brass ALMS Dlsh, 10 inches dia. Sacred monogram engraved in centre. In.ccribed round rim: 'AH things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own ha\e we given thee.' Under- neath : " From Aislabie Procter, Hoh'stone Church. Anno dni 1 853. "6 Several of the A\indows are filled with stained glass. The triplet at the east end, the two lights in the south wall of the chancel, and one in the south wall of the nave, were erected b}- the Dawson family; the remaining two by the Wilkinsons, of Dews Hill. The windows in the north side of the nave are in memory of Priscilla Pacey and James Frederick Pacey. The living of Hol^^stone is joined with Alwinton; its present incumbent is the Rev. Joshua Harold Booth, M.A. (For the names of its previous vicars, see the account of Alwinton Church.) Campville — formerly known as Lanternside — the shooting box of Major Thompson of Walworth Hall, Darlington, stands about a quarter of a mile west from Holystone, on the verge of a romantic gorge, and within the lines of an ancient camp, the ramparts of which are quite distinct in the field below the house. A Roman causeway, leading from Rochester, Redewater, passes through a portion of the camp. In the deep ravine close to the house, where the Dove Crag burn tumbles and tosses in a series of waterfalls, there is a cave-like recess, underneath a huge overhanging rock, known as " Rob Roy's Cave." The cavern is only accessible b\- a very narrow path along the face of the rock, other means of ingress being entirely closed by the lofty cliffs overhead. At its source two miles up the moors, the -stream has a fall of some twenty-five feet over a sandstone rock. This rock is called the " Dove Crag," which in .some parts rises to a height of fifty or sixty feet. The situation and surroundings of the spot are delight- 6 1>. Proc. Soc. Antiqs.. Newcastle, vol. iv. , p. 293. HOLYSTONE. 28 1 fully secluded, the nearest dwelling being the shepherd's house at Harbottle Craig. In days gone b}', this was reputed to be one of the favourite haunts of the Fairies, and stories were told by the country folk of belated travellers when near the spot at the "witching time of night" having been spell-bound bv the sweet entranciniz music of the little elves, while in the midst of their midnight revels at the foot of the Dove Crag. Short!}- after leaving the rock, the burn enters a long winding and thickly wooded glen, which terminates in Campville ravine. Its banks on both sides are covered with a dense growth of wild flowers and ferns, while on the moors above the glen, the sweet-scented Bog Myrtle, Petty Whin, Cow Wheat grow in abundance, with here and there the dark green of the Juniper, conspicuous amongst the other shrubs. Some of the other plants found in the neighbourhood of Holystone are the Trientalis Europan — with its lovely star-like flowers, Myrica — the flea-wood of the Northumbrian housewife. Bog Asphodel, Grass of Parnassus, and the two insectivorous plants Butterwort and Sundew, while in an old pasture on the ramparts of a pre-historic camp the Sweet Scented Orchis Gyinnadoiia and the White Butterfl\- Orchis are found amid a fine show of Wood Betony. In the ravine below, the Oak and l^ecch I^'erns, the melanchol)- Plume-thistle, and Marsh Valerian, Honeysuckle, and the brilliant blooms of the Wood Cranesbill — Geranium Sylvaliaiiii — are seen in endless pro- fusion. Amongst the gravel in the bed of the Coquet we find the Yellow Mimulus, Reseda luteola, J7eia lathyroides, and on the banks are Saxifraga granulata, Covianini paluslrc, Pyrola media. Musk Mallow, and Sweet Cicel}'. " \ llowcr is nol a tlnwcr al(jnc, A thousand thou^hls imot it." West of llcjlystone a wild and mountainous tiTict of moor- land extends for miles, u]) towards Rcdesdale, while to the east and north-cast lies a fertile stretch of country dotted with cheerful hamlets and farmhouses, the landscape intersjjersed 282 UPPER COQUETDALE. with beautiful bits of woodland. The objects of interest around Holystone being numerous, combined with pure bracing air. wild hill scenery, and fishing in the Coquet, a delightful holiday can be spent at this little out-of-the-world village. Excellent accommodation is to be had at that snug hostelry, the "Salmon Inn," where the comfort of the visitor is well cared for by the present host and hostess. The mill race- — the pride of the villagers — is a copious runnell of fine clear water which passes through Holystone, and is the motor power for the wheel of the corn mill at the entrance to the village. 7" ^'V^'T" During the early part of the last century there were from twenty to thirty houses in Holystone, with a population of i8o; whereas to-day there is only half that number of dwell- ing houses, and the population of the township has dwindled down to 8 1. The houses were all thatched, and consisted of one floor divided into two apartments by " box beds," with sliding doors, in which the villager of that day enjoyed "Tir'd nature's sweet restorer" on a "calf bed,"7 amid home- spun blankets, the cow being housed in the entry, under- neath the same roof. Yet, as a rule, even under these — what we would now consider most unsanitary— conditions, the fore- fathers of the hamlet enjoyed good health and lived to a long ^Calf beds— Ticks filled with oat chaff. HOLYSTONE. 283 age. Some years ago there were fi\e persons living in the village whose united ages amounted to 410 }-ears. At that time the residents spoke of the streets and squares of their little village— "The Wynds," "The Opens," "Silver Street," " Donald.son's Square," " The Rise," " Burn Side Raw," and the " Qua}-," and were wont to speak of " up the toon " and "doon the toon." The names of some of the inhabitants in 1828 were: — Joseph Byatt, \-ictualler, Letters; Robt. Hunter, blacksmith; Robert Hunter, schoolmaster ; Joseph Oliver, corn miller. There were also tailors, shoemakers, weavers, masons, joiners, and besom makers. Joseph B\'att was also a webster and dyer. It is told of him how one day, when he had the dye-pot on, someone inquired what colour he was d\-ing, old Joe said : " He intended it for a greenT Population of Holystone, 1 80 1 to 1901. 1801 — 125. 1811— 136. 1821 — 182. 1831 — 124. 1841 — 125. 1851 — 135. 1861 — 125. 1871 — 127. 1881 — 122. 1891 — 91. 1901 — 81. Of course, Holystone had its characters, as ever}' other village had in those quieter times. One of those quaint old characters, Xed Allan, was a weaver, an industry now quite extinct. Xed was cousin to the notorious Jamie Allan, some time piper to the Duke of Xorthumberland. I-'rom all accounts, otter huntin;^ and fishin"; were more congenial to the old man's tastes than sitting at the loom, or being engaged in work of an\- kind. On one occasion Mr. Snowdon, of 1^'arnham — a farm opposite Holystone — went to .seek Xed to assist him during harvest. Xed's reply to Mr. Snowdon was: "Ye should saw nc mair nfjr ye can shear. A'll help nane o' \'e." Ver)' earlx- one winter's morning, Xed set off for Harbottlc, a \illage about two nn'K-s distant from Holystone, .'\rri\ing there, he called up Toinm\- (dmmon, the landlord of tlic .Ship Inn, who, astonished to see his friend at such an untimely hour, en(|uired : "What's fetched )e here 284 UPPER COQUKTDALE. se siine, Ned?" "Sunc," sa\^s Ned. "A' the witter i' the Htillysteyn wuniia m\'ek a crowdie th' smornin'." It was the oatmeal Ned wanted — not the water. Blackwood's Magazine, May, 1820, contains a racy article on "FK'-r^ishing in Northumberland," in which this well known character is thus described : — " As R was slipping on the last leather which bound together the pieces of his rod, we were approached by some one \\ith rod and pannier, apparently bent upon the same sport that we had been. He was an old man, but his firm step, amongst the loose shingles, sun-burnt face, and distinct \'oice, proved that his strength was not in accordance with his years. " A stalwart Tinkler wight was he, That weel could mend a pot or pan, An' deftly Wull could thraw a flee. An' neatly weave the willow wan/' Lay of the Keedivatcr Minstrel. He was in clogs, coarse grey jacket, and flapped hat. It was Ned Allan the weaver, a namesake of the Wull alluded to in the stanza. 'Guid da}^ to ye. Gentlemen.' 'Good day, what sport?' 'I've deun ga\' cannih^ the afterneun,' (opening his pannier). 'So have we; we're going down to Harbottle.' 'Surely. Ye'll be stoppin' at Tommy Commons, I reckon?' 'Yes, and if you stop there, you shall not want a glass after your day's work. What sort of fishing is there between this and Rothbury? We fish down to-morrow.' 'Thank ye, kindly. Ye maun begin belo\\' the Squire's Preserve, ye ken, and fish down by Halystaen, and there away, an' I warrand ye'll come on gaily.' Having supplied Ned with some silk-worm gut, we left him, and made the best of our way to a late dinner. This old man was, in his day, famous for being the most expert eel- spearer of all Coquetdale. It was, as 1 have often heard, a treat to see the admirable skill with which he struck, and the still more surprising encrg}- with which he followed up an unsuccessful blow. Once, in the very tempest and whirlwind HOLYSTONE. 285: of his passion, pursuinLj a large eel clown a pool, he fairly levelled with the ground, or rather water, an old acquaintance, who had not got out of the wa\- in time. Luckily, however,, the leg was not touched b\- the points of the fivc-tacd leister, which Allan was flourishing and launching with incredil)le activity. ' Linn\- W'unters! ye sud steud farther aff, man!' was all he said, in his rapid, smothered voice, still following up the devoted eel." When Ned died the following epitaph was written by the village schoolmaster and poet, Robert Hunter, but no tomb- stone was ever erected to this old Holystone character, there- fore the epitaph was never cut in stone, and only lingers in the memories of a few persons in the localit}', " Here lies old Ned in his cold bed, For hunting otters famed, A faithful friend lies by his side, And " Tug'eni " he was named. Sport and rejoice ye finny tribes That glide in Coquet river, Your deadly foe no more you'll see For he is gone for ever. The amphibious otter now secure, Ovi Coquet's peaceful shore, May roam at large for Ned and Tug \Yill never harm him more. Uji Swindon burn he may return. When salmon time comes on ; For pcor old Ned in his cold bed, Sleeps sound at Holystone." 286 UIM'ER CO()UETDALE. CHAPTER XXII. WOODirOUSES AND HAREHAUGH. Moorland Drive — Dews Hill — Beacon (Irange — Woodhouses Pele — Protection against Redesdale Men — Initials on Doorhead, 1602 — •" Hareclewgh " the tower of Roger Hangingshaw, 154 1 — Restored by the Potte family, 1602 — Woodhouses in 1604 — Its "Customary Tenants" — Curious Tenure — Sir Edwd. Widdrington owner, 1663 — Other Owners, 1710-15-21 — James Allan, the Duke's Piper born at Woodhouses — Harehaugh— Owners 1568-1710-15-21 — Present owner Sir John W. B. Riddcll, Bart., of Hepple — Bishop of Whit- herne consecrated at Harehaugh, 79c — Football, Cockfighting, and frays at Harehaugh between Redesdale and Coquetdale Men — Extract from the Lay of the Reedwater Minstrel. LEAVING Holystone, with its historical associations and traditions, a pleasant moorland drive across the common by way of Dews Hill, Woodhouses — now "Beacon Grange" — and Harehaugh, brings us to the extreme southern boundary of the parish of Alwinton-cum-Holystone. Dews Hill is seen on the right with its fine belt of natural wood sloping down to the river on the left, the green fields of Wreigh Hill and West Hepple rising on the opposite banks. "The mellow thrush, frae Dews-hill wood, Proclaims the dawn of day. And to the Coquet's crystal flood The fisher wends his way." — Coquetdale Fis/iiiar Song, 1821. Beacon Grange, the summer residence of its owner, Mr. F. W. Rich, stands on a picturesque spot at the base of the Beacon hill, from which it derives its latest name. A short distance to the west of the modern mansion, the interesting remains of Woodhouses pele, the "Hareclewgh" of 1541, stands out prominently in the landscape. This relic of domestic architecture, of which we give a sketch on the next page, as it appeared in 1886, belongs to a WOODHOUSES AND HAREHAUC^H. 287 class found on the borders, perhaps most numerous along the fringe of the Cheviot hills, and presents to us a substantial memento of those turbulent days in which our sturdy, hard headed ancestors fought and flourished — " Those clays of yore, before the birth of order, WTien rapine was the warden of the Border, When will was law, craft wisdom, and strength right, And the best plea for doing wrong was might : Those good old times the poets loved to paint. When whip-cord and cold water made a saint." Woodhouses pele is probably the latest erection of its kind in Coquetdale, and belongs to a class of fortified dwellings, sometimes called bastlc houses, which two or three centuries ago were indispensable to the safet\' of the inhabi- tants of the borders, but scarcely so large and stately as the pele towers of Whitton, Cartington, Hepple, and Klsdon. it forms the first of a range that stretches up the fells towards Redesdalc, the other pelcs being the Craig, the Raw, High Shaw, and Iron Mouse, all of which are in the jjarish of I'Llsdon. 288 UPPER COQUETDALE. These were evidently erected for defence against the men of Redesdale and Xt)rth Tyne, as much as against our friends across the border. Even as late as 1645, we are told b\- a letter from Sir Henr\- Vane to Sir Thos. Widdrington. that " Gilbert Swinhoe and the Laird of Graden endeavoured to raise the moss troopers or thieves of Tynedale and Redesdale to join with the Rebels of Scotland."^ Although the date cut on the door-head is 1602, the founda- tions of this pele were laid perhaps a century before. The term Woodhouses is, comparatively speaking, a new one. The first mention we have of it is in 1568, the name also occurs in a document dated 1604, two years later than the door-head. There are two lists extant of our border towers, well known to the antiquary, one drawn up in 141 5, the other in 1541. The fortresses of Biddleston, Farnham, Hepple, Whitton, Cartington and Thropton, are recorded in that of 141 5, but it is not until the list of 1 541 that we find our pele thus described : — "At a place called the hare clewgh one Rog' hangingeshawes hath latel}^ buylded upon his owne Inherytance a stronge pele house of stone in a convenyent place for resystence of the Incourse of theeves of Ryddesdale, and he ys not able in defaulte of substance to p'forme & fynyshe the same." There- fore it would appear that this pele, or " stone pile " as it is also termed, la\' in the condition Roger Hangingshaws left it until the year 1602, when it was completed by a family named Potte, whose initials we find, along with the date, cut on a stone over the doorway. This stone certainly does not appear to have been part of the original building ; probably it was inserted by the Potte family when in 1602 they finished the building. In a " Survey of Border Latids in 160^" Wood- houses consisted of four houses, two outhouses, and eighty-two acres of land, the whole of which was held by five persons for the ^ Portland Papers, vol. i. (Hist. MSS. Comm. Rep.), p. 273. WOODHOUSES AND HAREHAUGff. 289 annual sum of forty shillings.^ One of the five was a William Potte, whose initials are those on the door-head. In 161 8, in the " Rentall of the Lordship of Harbottle" for " Linterne Heugh, Barthol. Pott paid xx' Tailbois and his wife .Alianora to have held lands in Sharperton, Sheepbank, Fo.xton, and New hall. ^ The HeiJi^le estate of to-day is on the western confines of the parish of Rothbur)', and occupies one of the most charming corners in Upjjer Coquetdale. It also has an interestini^^ history which we shall endeavour to lay before our readers. ' \\iA\:fier/aii(l, ])art iii. i., p. 5- 296 ui'i'KR C()(,)l:i-;ti)ALE. Hepple has ever been the most important lordship in the parish of Rothbur>-. As early as 1265, in the account of the cornage- of the County, rendered at the P^xchequer in the 49 Henry II., we find that, while Rothbury is designated as part of the baron}- of Ralph l^t/. Roger, Hepple was described as " de baron>' de Heppedale," complete in itself, and held i)i capitc, that is, direct from the King. Its lords also posses.sed capital rights, a gallows, the power of life and death, an assize of ale and bread, and other privileges, which are not found to have been held b\- another manor in the parish, excepting the lordship oi Rothbury itself. After passing through the hands of the de Hepples, the knightly Tailbois, the Lords Ogle, the Marquis of Newcastle, the Earl of Oxford, and the Dukes of Portland, this charming estate, with its well-cultivated farms, watered b}- the streams of the silvery Coquet, its picturesque mansions — Woodside and W'hitefield — surrounded by heath-clad moors, and guarded by the rugged heights of Keyheugh and Darden, with the ancient village of Hepple itself, is now in the possession of a member of the oldest family in the north — Sir John Walter Buchanan Riddell, Bart. The walls of the strong border tower of the lords of Hepple, still stand at the east end of the village— one of those sturdy square buildings, whose grim grey walls form so familiar a feature in our Northumbrian landscapes. The first notice of a tower at Hepple is in the list of 1415, where it is described as the tower of Sir Robert Ogle,3 one of the six Border towers of which Sir Robert Ogle was the owner, the others being at Sewinshields, North Middleton, Newstead, Flotterton, and the paternal stronghold of the Ogles at Ogle. Until the middle o{ the fifteenth century it ^ "Comage, or castle-guard rent of the North of England, was originally a payment in lieu of cattle, and called in England horngehi and neatgeld, cattle tax, or ox lay. — Hodgson." (Heslop.) 3 Turris de Heppell. Robti. Ogle Chlr.' a. a. 5,1 " "' ■"^:. ■f ■''■Sl^%^**~'*:!^'' -f ^'.f- •1- IIEPPLE. 297 was held by two owners. In the Pipe Roll of 1206, the Sheriff of the County renders an account of the King's taxes collected by him for that )'ear. There it is found that William Bardolph and Ivo Tailbois each pa}- fifty shillings thenage for " Hepedale in Cokedale." Again, in 1363, Robert de Ogle holds lands in Hepple, and near)}- at the same date Henry Tailbois and his wife Alianora had lands in Hepple, and in 1436 Sir Walter Tailbois is said to have had in his own right the Tailbois moiety of the baron_\- of Hepple, but owing to the ver\- active part taken b\' the next owner (Sir William Tailbois) during the War of the Roses he was beheaded at Newcastle, and his estates confiscated. It was probabl)- then that the Tailbois moiety of Hepple passed into the hands of the Ogles, the other half being already in pos.session of the family b}' the marriage in 1331 of the Hepple heiress, Jane de Hepple, to Robert, Lord Ogle. The Tailbois had apparently lield the most important position in the baron}-, for, early in the reign of Edward I., Sir Robert Tailbois, as we gather from the Hundred Rolls, had the right to erect a gallows, and had the assize of ale and bread within the barony. A trace of Sir Robert's "furcas" is found in a field named the Gibbet-close, situated beneath a knoll on the opposite side of the river Coquet. I'\)llowing upon Sir Robert there was a Luke Tailbois 4 in 13 17, William in 1338, Henry in 135 1, and Walter in 1372. Of the latter we have a most interesting note, illustrative fjf the maimers and customs of tho.se days. At that period the heir of an estate could not enter into pos.se.ssion until he had proved himself to be not onl}- the lawful heir, but al.so that he was of full age. Therefore, proof •of age of Walter, .son and heir of Henry Tailbois of Hepple, and Alianora of Burradon, was taken at an incjuisition lu-Id in Newcastle, in 1372, when the following curious tnidcnce was * Kfibcrt (1l- Hi-pjilc iui.; Luke T;iill«)is ^nuilcd In Xcwiniiislri Alilic)- right-of- way, the former throufjh all hi.s lands in Norlhnniherland, and ilic l.iller through his lands in the harony of Ilfjiple. — Newiiiiiisii-r Cartulary, y. 162, 163. 298 Ul'I'KR aJ(>)UKTl)ALE, o-iven: — "Robert de Louthre deposed that the said Walter was 21 years old on the Feast of the Purification last past; that he was born at 1 lephal and baptised in the church at Routh- burw He recollected the day because he was a god-father, lohn de Walington recollected the da)' because he had a son baptized there on the same day. John Lawson recollected the day because he had a son buried there the same day." This Sir Walter Tailbois, in the execution of his duties as commissioner in the defence of the borders, was taken prisoner b\- the Scots in a border raid. Sir Walter's ransom was effected by exchanging a Scottish prisoner named Peter of Crailing, with forty quarters of malt to boot. In 1509, shortly after Henry VHI. came to the throne, an official return was made of all the towers on the borders, the number of men in each, and the distance from Scotland. Hepple appears in this list as belonging to Lord Ogle, held by a garrison of twenty men, who ccuild be relied on in the event of a Scottish invasion. The Border Survey o{ 1541 thus describes Hepple: — "At Hephell ys a toure of thinherytance of the lorde Ogle decayed in the roofes & scarcely in good repac'ons."5 Hepple tower was probably built about the middle of the fourteenth century,, shortly after the marriage of Jane de Hepple to Robt. Lord Ogle, as already stated, in 1331. Previous to the battle of Neville's Cross, in 1346, no vassal was allowed to erect a tower or fortify his mansion without a special licence from the king,, for, sheltered behind the battlements of their towers and castles, there was a danger of the great landed proprietors becoming too powerful. ISut after the devastation of North- umberland by the Scots ow their way through the two counties of Durham and Northumberland in 1346, the Northumbrian landowners were not only allowed, but were encouraged hy the king to erect and fortify towers on their estates without any licence whatever. Thus a strong line of defence was '^ Arch. yJ-'Jiatia, v(jl. xiv., p. 44. HEPPLE. 299 formed against their northern foes, and as no record has been found of a h'cence to crenellate Hepple tower, it makes it more probable that Lord Ogle's tower was not built until after Neville's Cross. Originall)- the tower would be from 40 to 50 feet high, the usual height of similar border towers, surmounted by a battlement. The internal dimensions are about 26 feet from east to west, 17 feet from north to south, walls six feet thick. The barrel-arched vault of the basement "rises to nearl}- 17 feet, and beneath it there has been a loft, supported on stone corbels, two of which remain in the western angles. A slit for light at the west end is set in a round-arched recess of wide spla\\ The entrance was by a pointed door at the east end of the south wall. The holes for the sliding bar, seven inches square, are still to be seen. The roof of the passage between this outer door and that leading into the vault is pierced by a incurtricreiK loophole). On the left, a straight stair seems to have gone up in the thickness of the south wall through a square-headed door now built up. Be\'ond a small window opening in the west wall, the first flofjr retains no details of interest."^ The internal arrangements of the tower have evident!)- consisted of two floors and the basement. The latter was principally used for the purpose of storing provisions for winter use. Before turnips and other modern feeding stuffs had been introduced, cattle could not be kept and fed in any great numbers during the winter months. Therefore, the spare sheep and o.xen were killed and salted in November, and placed in the vault where the beef would be in safet)' and ready for u.se. Most of the Border raids took place on moon- light nights during the months of .September, October, and November. The Border reivers "sought the beeves that made their broth " while the cattle were still roaming the lea, and not when l>'ing in salt within the walls of a pele tower. During those troublous times on the borderland, life and property were never safe, for each moon brought with it bands ^ Arch. j'ICliaiia., vol. xiv., j). 396. 300 UI'l'KR COQUETDALE. of ravagint^ mosstroopers. The frequency of such little border occurrences is well put b}- Sir Walter Scott in The Lay of the Last Minstrel, where Wat Tinlinn of Liddesdale tells the Lady of Branksome of the approach of the English : — "They crossed the Licldell at curfew hour, And Inirned my little lonely tower ; The fiend receive their souls therefore, It had not been ])urnt this year and more." " Hepple was the native place of the renowned Robert Snowdon, who, in his sixteenth }'ear, fought and slew John Grieve, a celebrated Scotch champion, in a pitched battle with small swords upon ' Gamble Path,' at the head of Coquet. This circumstance appears to have taken place before the Union — 1603. This Robert Snowdon had a black horse which he greatl}' prized. It was one night stolen, when he, accom- panied by two friends, pursued the thief to the Scottish bordeis, where, from a wretched hovel, his voice was answered by the neighing of his favourite, on which the unsuspecting Snowdon dismounted and rushed into the house, but while in the act of unloosing his horse, he was run through the body by a concealed assassin. The family of the Snowdons were all distinguished for their intrepidity and dexterit)' in the petty feuds of those turbulent times."7 In the )'ear 1803, the Hepple barony was sold by the Duke of Portland to Sir John Buchanan Riddell, Bart, of Riddell Water, in Roxburghshire. Sir John Buchanan Riddell died in 18 19, and was succeeded by his son. Sir Walter Buchanan Riddell who died in 1892, when his nephew. Sir John Walter Buchanan Riddell, the present owner, became the possessor of the Hepple estates. Although the family has only been on the south side of the border for little more than a century, yet the ancestral tree goes back into remote history, for the Riddell's were a family of note in Normandy long before they came to England. In 1066 one 7 Mackenzie's Hisl. Norlh/d., vol. ii., p. j6n. IIEPI'LK. 3or of the members, Galfridus, accompanied William the Norman in his expedition into England and fought under his banner at the battle of Hastings. On the "Roll of Battle Abbey" is found the name of Ridel, seigneur of More, near Rouen. After the conquest members of this illustrious famih- filled various posts of honour in the State. During the reign of Henr\- I., Geoffre\' Ridel became Great Justiciary of England. From 1 1 39 to 1 152, Gervasius Ridel, was Steward of Henr}',. earl of Northumberland, son of David, king of Scotland ; and to Walter Ridel, brother of Gerxasius, king Da\-id gave or confirmed the lands of " Lillesclive " on Riddell Water, and Whitton on Kale Water, both on the borders of Rox- burghshire, to be held as one knight's fee. The lands thus granted received the name of the baron}- of Riddell. Sir Walter Scott, in The Lay of the Last JMinstrel, speaks of "Ancient Riddells fair domain," and in a note says: "The famil}' of Riddell ha\e been very long in possession of the barony of Riddell or Ryedale, part of which still bears the latter's name."^ Sir John Riddell has in his possession three rare and curious family documents, namely three papal bulls of popes Adrian IV. and Alexander III., confirming to Sir John's ancestors the estates of Lilliesleaf and Whitton. " To say nothing of the great local interest that attaches to these three original documents of the twelfth century they possess a peculiar value as examples of the far-reaching all embracing power of the medieval papacy," as evinced in the fact that the title to property in Scotland was secured by no less than three papal confirmations. The first is a bull of Adrian IV. (Nicholas Breakspeare, the onl\- hjiglishman who has ever yet sat in the chair f)f .St. Pcterj, addressed from Benevento on the ISth of April, 1156, to Anskilill dc Kidale. The second is from Pope Alexander III., dated May 17th, 1165, also addressed to the knight Anskitill de Ridale. The third "The Riddell arms are, Argent, a clievroii joules helween Uiree ears of rye. I'pr. .sli|ipe(l verl. 302 UPPER CO()UETDALE. is also from pope Alexander III. to Walter de Ridale, son of Anskitill de Ridale, confirming to him Lilliesleaf, Whitton, and other lands of his father, l^^ach of the bulls begin in the same manner, thus : — " Alexander the bishop the servant of the servants of God to his beloved son the knight of Anskitill de Ridale, greeting and apostolic benediction," etc. These .documents derive their name of " bull " from the leaden seal or token attached to them, and called in Latin bulla.9 Whitefield House, the residence of Sir J. W. B. Riddell, is about a mile to the south, and on the opposite side of the river Coquet, from the village of Hepple, and stands amidst the wild and beautiful scenery of those heathery moorlands that stretch along the northern base of the Simonside hills. Sir John and Lady Riddell take a deep interest in the welfare of the people on the Hepple estate, their hospitality is pro- verbial, and they are ever ready to promote and organize meetings— social and intellectual — in the picturesque grounds of their Northumbrian home. Sir John Riddell was Sheriff •of the County in 1897, is a Justice of the Peace and a member of the District and County Councils. He is alsf) a Vice- President of the English Church Union, and takes a leading part in educational matters, and in all questions relating to the Church of England, of which he is an ardent member. He is a Director of the Ecclesiastical F'ire Office and of " The Pilot " weekly newspaper. He married Sarah Isabella, daughter of the late Robert Wharton, Esq., and their only son, Walter Robert, is a Fellow and Lecturer in History at Hertford College, Oxford, and a keen speaker on behalf of unionist politics. About a mile over the moors west of Whitefield, Woodside, another well appointed country seat belonging to the Hepple estate, is met with, standing in a secluded and picturesque situation on the western slopes of a richly wooded hill, over- looking a peaceful valley watered by a number of mountain "^ Arch. yEliana., vol. xii., p. 191. HEPPLE. 303 streams, and enclosed on all sides b\- rugged hills, forming one of the finest highland landscapes in the county. Beyond, on the left, lies the Ke}'heugh, a wild inaccessible spot, the hiding place of the badger and the fox, and the nesting place of the raven and the falcon, while along the banks of the streams the otter gambols free from danger, and the wily adder basks in the sunshine on the warm sandstone rocks. The Keyheugh Scars, formed of beetling cliffs of gritty sandstone, are well known to the geologist, for here are found boulders of distant origin. Hugh Miller, in his Memoir, sax's : — "There appears to be no reason wh}- these boulders, though decreasing in number and lessening in size as we pass eastwards, should not be found here and there throughout the whole southern part of the Map. Except in one case, however, they have not been detected, and must ha\e almost died out. The single exception is at the west end of the Simonside hills in that part of the head of the \alley of the Darden Burn which faces westward at fnjm 700 to i ,000 feet of elevation, like an open cul-de-sac. In this hollow of the Fell Sandstones there is a small sheet of shale-grey till, stuck through with glaciated limestones, ironstones, &c., from the nearer country, and a group of travelled boulders of far western origin — some Crifel granite, numbers of Silurian grits, and one or two pieces of fresh red sandstone, certainly from the St. Bee's group." 1° The little mountain streams spoken of are Grasslees, Darden, and Keenshaw burns, who.se united waters, after flowing through Woodside park, takes the name of Swindon burn. At the entrance gates to Woodside a neat stone bridge of one arch is seen on the right, known in the locality as the "Coffee Bridge." it was built in iy other County Magistrates and a large /^'i'J^ f)f parish c. 121. -''This cross was found on the moors near I'aunchford hy John I'roudlock, of Swindon, who handed it over lo Mr. Thomas Carse, who was then superinlendin^j the erection of Hepple church, to he |)laced in ihc cJHurh there along with the floreated cross slab discovered hy Mr. Carse in the garden at West Ilepple. 3IO UPPER COQUETDALE. '• )^ Vo the Gloi'}' of God | And in pious Memory of throe brothers whose bodies I h'e in Africa awaitin"- the Resurrection of the dead. Charles Sidney Robert George Henry Edward Buchanan Riddell, Buchanan Riddell, Buchanan Riddell, Priest in the Lt. Colonel in the King's Major in the King's RK Universities Mission. Rl. Rifles, Rifles, Died at Magila, Killed in action at Died March, 1900, after June, 1886. Spion Kop, wounds January, 1900. received at Lombard's Kop, October, 1900.'' Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ^ A \-ery beautiful memorial window is dedicated as follows : — " Gi\ing thanks to God | for the blessed Memory [ of Henr\- Edward Buchanan Riddell, | Major King's Ro\'aI Rifles, who | was wounded at Lombard's Kop, | October 31st, 1899, and being smitten | with fever during the siege of | Ladysmith, died at Pieter | maritzburg on i6th March, | 1900, aged 40. His wife dedicated this Window, anno Domini, 1901." Inscription on \\'indo\v base reads : — SANCTUS -AIDAN-EPISCOPUS~NORTHUMBRI>C SANCTUS-GEORGIUS-MARTYR -ET-PATRONUS-ANGLORUM. SANCTUS-OSWALDUS— REX— ET— MARTYR. A series of five ver}- fine reredos panels, painted and pre- sented by Miss Boothb)-, has recently been erected in Piepple Church. The outside panels represent the " Annunciation," the three centre panels portray scenes in the " Passion." In the first }'ears of the baron\-, judging from the various remains that have been found, there appears to have been a chapel at Hepple, and we are told " Upon a fine summit called Kirk-hill, about half-a-mile west of Hepple, stood a chapel, the remains of which were removed about 1 760, for the purpose of building a farmstead. Until this time the chapel HEPPLE. 311 was occasionally used as a burial place by five of the adjoining villages. When its remains were removed, the font and the pedestal were in good preservation, and many mutilated monuments were found both within and w ithout the walls of the sacred building. In the chancel a tombstone was found standing north and south, \\ ith a nearl\- obliterated inscription, of which we give fragments " : — (" Here lies Countess of . . . who died .... her age, I loved my lord, obey'd my king, ■ And kept my conscience clear. Which death disarmeth of his sting, And Christians all endear. There lay my head to Long-acres, Where shearers sweetly sing. And feel towards the Keyheugh scares. Which fox-hounds cause to ring.")"' ■J 3 iRP**^ ■' Mackenzie's I/ist. of Northld., vol. ii., p. 7(1. 312 UrPER CO(^UETI)ALE. CHAPTER XXV. BICKERTON. — FLOTTERTON. — WARTON. BICKERTON. A Manor of Hepple Barony — Held in Socage — Thomas de Bikerton, 1272 — (irants to Newminster Monks — Assize Rolls, 1256 — False Imprisonment at Bickerton — Murder at Bickerton — Curious Laws of Pursuit — The Lords Ogle owners, 1568-1628 — Alexander Snawdon, 1638 — Snawdons, 1663-1715 — James Forster, 1774 — Later Owners — Now the property cf Messrs. Snaith— Field Names — Hidden Treasure — The term "Socage" — Border Watch, 1553 — The big yuvven o' Bickerton." "IT TK shall here give some account of those manors and vills VV formerly included in the old barony of Hepple, but which are now possessed by various owners. These manors were Bickerton, Flotterton, Warton, Little Tosson, and Great Tosson. Plainfield generally appears in the records as part of Flotterton. Wreighhill and Caistron were not members of the barony. Bickerton, from an early period, was linked with Hepple. In the "Testa de Neville," circa 1272 : "Thomas de Bykerton holds Bickerton for which he pays eight shillings socage I to the Hepple barony." The Nexvminster Cartulary contains a grant to the monks of a right of way to the osier ' ^^ Socage was a Tenure by which Men held their Lands, to plough the Lands of their respective Lords with their own Ploughs, and at their own Charge : This slavish Tenure was afterwards, by the Mutual Agreement of Lord and Tenant, turned into the payment of a certain Sum of money, and from thence it was called tiberiiDi socagium ; whereas the other was villanitui socagiuni, for those who had their Land by that Tenure, were not only bound to plough their Lord's Lands, but they took the Oath of fealty of them, sicut de villanis. This was a Tenure of so large an extent, that Littleton tells us, all the Lands in England, which were not held in Knight Service, were held in Socage.'^ Tho. Blount, Law Dictionary, 3rd ed., 1717. BICKERTOX. 313 beds east of " Espricheford," by Thomas de Bickerton. And the Assize Rolls for Northumberland, 40, Hen. iii., records an extraordinary case of false imprisonment against Thomas of Bickerton :— " Two women complained that he took them and another woman on suspicion of theft, and after keeping them in a cell at Bickerton four days without food or drink, sent them to Newcastle gaol, where one of the women and her infant child died. Thomas acknowledged the imprisonment, but said the women had robbed him. The jurors, however, said that the two women were innocent, but they suspected the woman who died in prison of the theft. Thomas de Bickerton get off by making a fine with the King for sixty marks, for which he had to giv^e twenty pledges." The following is also found in the assize rolls of the same period ^1256): — "Nicholas le Creler wounded Hugh of Bickerton under the left breast w ith a knife so that he died immediately, Nicholas took at once to flight, and being sus- pected was summoned and outlawed. His chattels were worth 37/- and were in charge of the sheriff. And Nicholas, the son of Eustace, was arrested because he was present and did not come to give his evidence, and he was arrested by Walter de Hephal and Robert Tyrewen in Bikerton and is therefore fined. And the jurors find that the said Nicholas, the son of Eustace, is not guilty of the murder, and the town- ship of l^ickerton did not take Nicholas le Creler and is therefore fined, and the township of Haneshull is similarly fined because it did not pursue him."^ The above extract throws a strong sidelight on the lawlessness of the period and the social conditions of the people, as well as the customs and responsibilities of each township in the apprehending of malefactors. In 1 5O8, Bickerton was still a member of the Hepplc baron\-, in the possession of the Ogle's, but in 1628 we find a fresii owner in the jjcrson of " Percival Snawdon, gentleman," whih- in 1638 Alexander Snawdon and William * Surt. Soc. jiiilil.. J). 119. 314 UPPER COQUETDALli. Snawdon, gentlemen, are the owners. Bickerton appears to have remained in the possession of this family for some years. In 1663 William Snawdon, Widow Snawdon, Anthony Snawdon, and Alexander Snawdons were the proprietors, each family residing in their bastle house. The north wall of the present farm-house is formed of part of one of these fortified dwellings, and several green mounds in the field adjoining denote the sites of others. The County Poll Book of 17 15 "■ives the names of William Snawdon, senior, William Snawdon, William Snawdon (2), and Jasper Hall as freeholders in Bickerton. After this date the name of Snawdon gradually disappears at Bickerton. In 1774 James Forster is recorded as a freeholder, and in the Poll Book of 1826 William Mark Carr, of Hexham, is the owner of a freehold in Bickerton. The Survey of Ogle lands, in 1724, shews that other families than the Snowdens were at Bickerton, for the lands are des- cribed as Forster's intack,4 Storrer's intack, Hall's intack. In 1842 the owners were William Thomas Greenwell, Francis Mewburn, and Henry Smales. The cheerful farm-house of Bickerton. now the property of the Messrs. Snaith, stands upon a pleasant level, on the verge of the moorlands which form a 3 Burials— " Parcival Snawdon, Bickarton, Jan. 8th, 1692 ; Alexander Snawdon, Bickerton, Jan. 13th, 1669; Anthony Snawdon, Bickerton, Jan. loth, 1679; Elizabeth Snowdon, Bickerton, Nov. 2nd, 16S0." (Rothbury Parish Register.) "John Snawdon, of Bickerton, ordered to have 5s., for killing many foxes, in consideration of his pains for ye publicke good of these parts." Easter Vestry Meeting, 1660. (Rothbury Parish Church Records.) "A Watch to be kept at the Cote Hill, with Two Men nightly, of the Inhabitors of fiekerdoiie : Setters and Searchers of these Watches, Persevall Siiawden and IVilliam Hombler (Border Laws.) During the Seventeenth Century, members of the Snawdon family are found to have been at Wreighill, Farnelaw, Great Tosson, Hepple, Newtown, Whitton, and other places in the parish of Rothbury. ■• Intack — Land inclosed. The Forsters were thought by their neighbours to be very extravagant in their manner of living, and when they eventually lost Bickerton, Will Scott, a well known Coquetdale character, used to say that " Bickerton was beyked rig by rig i' the big yuven o' Bickerton, a pie every day I" BICKERTOX. 315 semi-circle on the south and west, with the Coquet haughs and other rich pastures on the north and east. The following are a few of the most interesting field-names on Bickerton farm : — Scribe, Gibbet Close, Intakes, The Cote Hill, Babber-dale, Duccot Knowe, Dolly Crook, Pillmoor, Measley Side. In former years coal w as w orked on Bickerton Knowe, along the northern base of the Simonside Hills. There is a tradition of the existence of hidden treasure somewhere on Bickerton ground. Some years ago, it is said, search was made for this treasure trove, and e.xcavations made at a certain spot, b\' Government officials, but without success. The osier (the willow) and the )-ellow iris still fringe the margin of Bickerton burn, and grow in the swampy ground on the hauehs, as the\- did in those days when the monks of Newminster had the grant of right of way from Thos. de Bikertone to the osier beds to obtain a supply for basket- making. The slopes of the hill south of Bickerton are covered with a dense growth of juniper trees. Man\- of these are of elegant shape, as if trimmed by the hand of a gardener, and fit for the ornamental grounds of a gentleman's mansion. " The peewits are mustering on Bickerton haugh, And the swallows are racing round Hepple's dark lower ; They're trying their wings for they sune maun be aft To the sunny south land where nae winter clouds lower. An' brown is the heather on dark Simonside ; An' yellow the brakens on stony Cragend ; .\nd red are the woods which the auld Abbey hide, Where the Coquet round Brinkburn doth bonnily bend." Rolhbuiy, September^ i86g. — J. I'. Watson. 3l6 UPPER COQUETDALE. FLOTTERTON-. A Manor of Ilepple Barony — Held by David de Flotwayton — Grants to New- minster by Wilham de Flotwarton — Survey of Ogle lands, 1724 — Flolterton consists of eii^ht farms — Names of Tenants — Field Names — The Estate to-day — Mr. Christopher Wealleans, owner — Flotterlon House built 1826 by Christopher Wealleans — Charming view of Coquet Valley — Old Sundial — Population. FLOTTERTOX, in the early records of the Hepple barony, is rendered " Flotwayton." The Newviinister Cartulary contains several grants of lands made to the monks of Newminster by men who held Flotterton during the thir- teenth century. William, the son of David " de Flotwaiton," granted thirteen acres in " Flaynfeld " (Plainfield), followed by grants of twent\- acres and eight acres of arable land called " Buklanhege," near " Bukelawe;" also three acres in "Alriwell- flat," near the marl pit, and forty-four acres with a toft and croft ^ in " Flotwaiton" with common rights ; also one acre of arable land and other eight acres. There appears another grant of seven acres in " Kaistancrokes " adjoining Caistron for the monk's infirmary of Seculars, as well as " Fichelerflat," near to the river Coquet, with license to erect a mill, also right of way to the marl pit on the west side of " Staniflat " on the north bank of the Coquet. In all 104 acres — a goodly slice these Newminster monks had of the lands of Flotterton.^ In 1340, "Thomas Shcphirde de Flotwayton " was one of the commissioners appointed to assess the rectory of Rothbury, when the living was valued at i?i33 6s. 8d.3 In the list of border towers of 141 5 it is found that Sir Robt. Ogle, the owner of Hepple barony, had a small tower at Flotterton ' Toft— Probably the piece of ground on which the dwelling stood. Croft — A small close adjoining. — (Heslop.) ■Newminster Cartulary, pp. 150-53. ^WoA^hovi?, Northuinber land, part iii., vol. iii. , xl. FLOTTERTON. 317 for the protection of his tenants. This fortalice had soon disappeared, for in the Survey of 1541 there is no mention made of a tower at Flotterton, nor are there any traces of it at the present time. Sir Cuthbert, Lord Ogle, was the owner of F'lotterton, as part of Hepple barony in 1568 ;4 the Marquis of Newcastle in 1663 ; e\entually it came to the Duke of Port- land, in whose hands it was until 1803.5 The Surve}' of the Ogle lands in 1724 contains the following particulars: — Flotterton Township, in the Barony of Hepple, consists of Eight Farms, pa}'s Tythe in kind and a modus. Limestone on the ground five miles from Cole, Improvable by inclosing. Plain Field, Ely-Law, Midridge, East P'ield, Mellow Meadow. The Towngate, Great Haugh, Green Side, Mr. Widdrington's House and close. Tenants, 1724: — John Story i farm, James Bilton I farm, EHz. Park i farm, Geo. Richardson i farm, Mary Potts i^ farm, Tho. Potts 73 farm, Mr. Widdrington i}i farm, John Wauby 5 6 farm. WHARTON : — Mr. Park — Stobb Heads 120 a., ij<., 18 p. Amongst the field names on the parish tithe map, 1844, are East Plain, West Plain, Surmental, West Field, East Band, Stony Flat, Leazes, Bare Ballins, Nelly Hogg, Green Side, Merry Knows, Braxes, Elilaw, Plainfield doers. West Midridge, East Midridge. Population of Flotterton Township : — iSoi — 75. 181 1 — 115. 1821 — 92. 1831 — 95. 1841 — 64. 1851 — yy. 1861 — 79. 1871 — 75. 1881 — 85. 1891 — 57. 1901 — 63. Flotterton, Plainfield, and Wreighill, now form the Flot- terton estate, which is the property of Mr. Christopher * Extract from will of Robert, Lord Ogle, 1544-5. "Item — I gyve and bequeath to my young sonne, John Ogle, all and singular, my lands and tenements within my townc of flotterton during his life natiue, and after the decease of the afornanied John, then to remayne to my heyres. Item : I gyve and bequeath to my doughters Margerie, Jenyc, and Margaret, thre hundrethe marks (jCiSo) out of the townc of Mickletosson." — 2 Surt. Soc. publ., ]>. 120. 5 See chapter on Hepple. ;iS UPPER COQUETDALE. W'ealleans, one of the most extensive agriculturists in Upper Coquetdale. Flotterton House — a handsome country mansion — was built in 1826, by Christopher Wealleans, grandfather of the present owner, and stands in a park of fine trees, having a charming outlook over the valley of the Coquet. An interesting horizontal sundial is on the lawn in front of the house, bearing the motto " Ut umbra sic uita." ;'" Life is as a shadow.") — J- ^V., 1773. "At Caistron deeps, they're thrashin' on, An' doun by Flotterton's new Ha' ; I'se wad a pund, when night conies round, That, creel for creel, we bang them a' ! It's spittin' now at Dewshill wood ; At Hepple Peel it's far frae dry ; There's nane but feuls wou'd fish the peuls, We'se cheat them a', an' up the Wreigh ! " — Coquetdale Fishing Song, 1843. WARTON. 319 WARTON. The "core of Coqiiel" — Early Notices of Warton — Elwaldus, 1272— Ilenricus, Nicolaus, Walter, 1293 — A Manor of Hepple Barony, 1389-1663 — Gilbert Park, owner 1724 — Bastle Houses at Warton, 1717 — Lord Ravensworth, -Mrs. Crawford, Robt. Spearman, owners 182S — Wm. Pavvson — Sir W. G. Armstrong, 15^74 — The Potts fiimily — The Warton Ox — Fire at Warton, 1S36 — Field Names. THE model hamlet of Warton is about three miles west of Rothbury, and is considered to be one of the best farms in Upper Coquetdale. Owing to the "super excellence" of its soil it has been termed the " core of Coquet." Within its acreage are some of the richest tillage and pasture lands lying between the Rithe and the Coquet. The earliest notice we have found of Warton, as a place name, is when Elwaldus de Warton is witness to a deed of exchange of land in Coquetdale, between Agnes, prioress of Holystone, and Adam, the abbot of Xewminster, in 1272; and at an inquest at Rothbur}-, in 1293, Henricus de Warton, Nicolaus de Warton, Walter de Warton, near Rothbury, are amongst the jurors. In an agreement between the abbot of Xewminster and the rector of Rothbury, with regard to the tithes of Caistron and Wreighill, among the arbitrators arc the names of " Thomam Scot de Warton and Adam, son of Rowlandi de Warton," In 1340, the name of "Robti. del Halle de Warton" occurs as witness to a deed relating to the transfer of lands. The manor of Warton in 1389 was held by Walter Tailbois as part of the barony of I lepple. Sir Cuthbert Ogle was the owner of Warton, along with the other manors of the barony, in 1568, and the Marquis of Newcastle in 1663. The Poll Book of 171 5 gives the names of Gilbert Park and Henry Potts (jf Warton. The signature of Mr. Gilbert Park frequently occurs in Rothbury Church Books, and in 1724 he appears in the list of vestrymen. fHe died in 1762.; Diu-ing the troublous days on the borders, the chief inhabitants at 320 UPPER COQUETDALE. Warton li\cd in bastle houses, which are not mentioned in the list of border towers/ but we gather from the diary of Mr. John Thomhnson, who was curate to his uncle, the Rev. Dr. John Thomlinson, rector of Rothbury (1678 to 1720), that these were in existence at the beginning of the eighteenth centur\-, for he says: — -"1717, August 26. Went with Mr. Hrown to Mr. Park's at Warton. Several old towers there- abouts for defence against the incursions of ye Scotts." In 1828 Warton belonged to Lord Ravensworth, Mrs. Crawford, and Robt. Spearman. William Pawson, of Shawdon, after- wards became the owner, until 1874, when it was purchased by Sir William George Armstrong, C.B., of Cragside. " This place is famed in the legendary tales of the neigh- bouring inhabitants as being the residence of a choice race of warriors, who were the dread of the Scottish borderers. Even so late as the middle of the last century four brothers lived here of the name of Potts, who usually kept the peace at all public sports when there was ill-blood between the people of Coquet and Redesdale."^ The following notes relating to Warton may be of interest to our readers : — On Nov. 9th, 1835, at a public dinner held at Rothbury, a silver cup was presented to Mr. Robt. Spearman, of Warton, by a number of his friends. This cup is now in the possession of Mr. George Stephenson of Newbiggin Farm, Rothbury Forest, a descendant of the Spearmans, The inscription engraved upon the cup runs thus : — " Presented to Robert Spearman, Esq., of Warton, by his friends, in testimony of their esteem as a man, and in admiration of his eminent skill as a grazier, par- ticularly for his superior judgment in selecting and persevering industry in fattening the celebrated pure West Kyloe Ox. 'The township had, however, to supply men for the watch in 1553. "■' Coni- melay-hill to be watched with two Men ni}i;htly of the Inhabitors of Warton : Setters and Searchers, George Story and Hugh Trewet." — (Border Laws.) ^Mackenzie and Dent (1811), vol. ii., p. 48. WARTON. 321 Slaughtered 6th March, 1835; 4 quarters, 152 stones gibs.; gross weight, 200 stones 61bs." Mr. Stephenson also possesses a colossal oil-painting of this huge animal, which was at the time well known as the " Warton Ox." In those days there were no agricultural societies, such as now exist in all parts of the country, therefore Mr. Spearman, at the suggestion of his friends, had a cara\'an made, in which he exhibited the ox at Kelso, Berwick-upon-Tweed, and other border towns, free of charge. Mr. Spearman was born at Rothle)' Park, near Cambo, in 1789, and died at Thropton, near Rothbur}', in 1847. About four months after this presentation a disastrous fire took place on the farm of Mr. Dickinson, the neighbouring farmer to Mr. Spearman at Warton. " 1836, February 17th. About six o'clock in the evening a most alarming fire broke out at XA'arton Farm, near Rothbur)% occupied b\- Mr. Robert Dickinson, by which seventeen corn stacks, the barn, and the thrashing machine were totally consumed. The devouring element spread with such awful rapidity that in less than half-an-hour the whole presented one tremendous blaze. Mr. Dickinson had, fortunatel}-, insured his property onl}' a few weeks before." Warton now consists of one large farm, with a neat row of cottages for the work people, and a commodious farmhouse, in the occupation of Miss Ord. Warton House stands on the north side of the highway leading from Rothbury to Harbottle, and commands a delightful view of the " fcrlile vale, Where Coquet rolls her winding way ! A vale sef/and, part iii., vol. i., p. 7-8. ■• Ibid, part iii., vol. iii. (Pipe Rolls), p. 88. GREAT TOSSON. 325 IS the recorded owner of " Hephale Maner, Tossam Villa. "5 Robert de Heppale appears to have had an interest in Great and Little Tosson in 1332, as well as in the Hospital of St. Leonard of " Alriburne."^ Henry Tailbois possesses 200 acres, &.C., in "Tossam Magna" in 1337." Robert de Ogle holds lands there in 1362,^ and in 1364 \\'illiam Tailbois also has lands in Great Tosson. 9 In 1368 Henry Tailbois and his wife, Alianora, are the owners of part of the village of Tosson, with lands there ;io while in 1437 Robert Ogle, senior, Aliles, pos- sessed in the village of Great Tosson eight messuages, six cottages, 130 acres of land, and a water mill, with 160 acres in Falowleys." About 1290 the names of " Lucas Tayleboys and Rics. Chartenay " appear together in connection with the barony of Hepple.^^ j,-, t^g Feodary's Book for 1568 Great Tosson and Little Tosson are returned amongst the posses- sions of Cuthbert Lord Ogle;i3 but in 1663 Great Tosson and Tosson Mill are the property of the Marquis of Newcastle, Henry Richardson and \Vm. Vrwen are the owners of Little Tosson and the Spittle. '4 We shall again quote from the Survc}- of the Ogle lands, 1724, in which Great Tosson and R}e Hill — but not Little Tosson — are described as in the barony of Hepple. Great Tosson consisted of si.x farms, one being a freehold, and a cottage. The tenants were: — Oswald Detchon, i farm; J no. Snowdon, i farm ; Cuthbert Ladler, i farm ; Geo. Detchon, 5 Ibid, pari iii., v(j1. i., ]). 48. ''Ibid, pari iii., vol. ii., p. 308. ' Ibid, i>art iii., vol. i., p. 72. ''Ibid, pari iii., vol. i., |). 81. " Ibid, p. 82. "^Ibid, p. 85. " Ibid, ]xirl iii., vol. ii., p. 272. '^ Ibid, part iii., vol. i., p. 168. — "Chartenay," the probable origin of the placc- nanie Chartners, which was part of the old Hepjile ijarony. " Ibid, part iii., vol. iii., p. 63. '^ Allerdene, then known as "The Spittle,"' the site of the Hospital of St. Leonard. 326 UPl'ER COQUETDALE. 1 farm ; OswaUl Dctclion, junr., i farm ; the cotta.^-e, Wm, Carnaby ; Geo. Humble, freeholder. Some of the field-names are: — " Intack off the Greens (Edwd. Shotton), The Greens, Howp l-'ield, Steel End '5 Intack." Rye Hill was also divided into six farms, one of which was a freehold. The tenants were: — "Geo. Humble, i farm; Eliz. Park, 2 farms; Margaret Snowdon, 2 farms ; Geo. Humble, freeholder. Field-names: — - Broom}' Haugh, Woolford Shield, Croft Simon, The Twizals, Bogg Well, New Intack, Old Intack, Broad Yard Nook." " Hepple and Tosson Commons, extended from Tosson about 4^4^ miles westward and about three miles southward, are very barren, wild, and mountainous, and full of crags and rocks, which renders a great part of them unimproveable. On the south and west parts of this ground is adjoining a great moore called Elsdon Fell, belonging to the Duke of Somerset, which is, since 1724, divided from these Commons, but what boundary he has left them I am ignorant of. About a mile south of Tosson town is a very noted craggy hill called Simon Side, the perpendicular altitude of which from the level of Coquet river being a quarter-of-a-mile. Over the middle thereof goes the boundar}' of the Commons, the contents of which are, according to the Survey in 1724, 5,661 acres." ^^ In 1725, Lord Oxford, accompanied by his chaplain, made a tour through his possessions in the north of England. On May 27th, leaving Alnwick they visited the various "Ogle lands " in Coquetdale, respecting which we give the following interesting notes from, the diary of his lordship's chaplain : — " Some miles farther we pass throug-h Eslington, part of the estate of Sir Harry Lyddell, formerly Mr. Collingwood's, who forfeited in the late insurrection. Here are several new good farm houses on this estate which were begun by Mr. Collingwood and carried on by the late purchaser. We pass dose by Calliloe, a house of — Clavering's, who was likewise '5 The '* Stelle End" is a place-name in 1553. '* Note to the Survey of Ogle lands, 1724. GREAT TOSSON. 327 amongst the unfortunate gentlemen of that countn- in 171 5, but procured his pardon by the interposition of the late Lord Covvper on his behalf, bearing very probabl}- some relation to that Lord's wife, who was a Clavering. " Not far from this house we pass over a small brook, and come into Larbottle, belonging to my Lord Oxford, computed to be about twelve miles from Alnwick, the way we came. We pass on without an^- stop through this town and go on to another part of m\' Lord's estate, called Sharperton, lying upon the river Cocute, through which we cross over to see a very large spring, on the other side of it, called Haliwell, and the town it belongs to, Halystane, which formerh- was a nunnery, and probably some Holy stone, as well as a Holy well, which the good ladies might have some peculiar reverence for. At the upper end of this vale, where the river Cocute runs, is Harbottle Castle, now in ruins. \Vc come back again from Halistone through the river, and go up a rising ground till we come to the ruins of an old chapel on the highest part of it, called the Kirk on the Hill, and lies betwixt Sharperton and Hepple tower. Just by this ruin lies a hollow stone which seems to have been the font belonging to the Kirk. They continue still to bur}- at this place, but not very frequently. The site and estate round about is my Lord Oxford's, as is Hepple tower, to which we came next, it is now onl\' a hcnise for the farmer, but was formerK', as well as all the other towers in this countrx', a place of refuge and defence for men and cattle, against the inciu'sions and depredations of their ravenous neighbours ; the cattle were drove into the b(jttom part and their (owners defended tliem from the top of the tower, with the [proper arms. " I-^-om hence rode up to Plainficld, Lord Oxford's, where the first rendez-vous was at the late rising ; it is upon the top of a rising grouufl, in the midst of a ])retly large open plain, and has good pleasant land about, especially towards the side of the ("ocute. Ilcnce we went on U) I'"lotterlon, Lord 32S DIMMER COQUETDALE. Oxford's, Warton, cross llie river to the Rye Hill, up to Mochill Toston, where, at the house of one Carnaby, we refreshed ourselves with what provisions we had brought along with us, ha\ing been about six hours and three-quarters on horseback, and rode about twent}^ miles. " On this side of the Cocute is that high, rocky mountain, belonging to my Lord Oxford, and containing many thousands of acres, called Symonside, it is reckoned to be one of the highest in the country, and being to be seen a great way from the German Ocean, is a kind of mark or sight for the seamen, and ma\' therefore perhaps have been originally called the Seamen's Sight," though now turned into Symonside." ^7 The most significant field-names in the neighbourhood ot Great Tosson are : — Bank House Field, Dirty Doup, East Detheridge, Croft Simon, North Dales, Twizel Wood (Ryehill), Malving Flat, Nine Rigs (Allerdene), Slide Field, Corby Field, Hill Field (Wolfershiel), Mill Croft (Tosson Mill), East Hive Acres, Ancient Glebe, Bailiff's Close (Ancroft Glebe), Kiln Field, East Hope, Twizel Banks, Boggle Hole, Brough Hill, Chesterhope, Ravensheugh (Great Tosson), ^^ Kiln Field, Lady Bank, Clavering Side, West Haugh, Farnlee North Field (Little Tosson). Little Tosson has for many years belonged to the Harbottle estate. An old pasture field lying to the north of the farm- house, sloping down to the Coquet, probably shows the most distinct traces of the curved " rig and reen " in the vallev. This relic of the cattle- wain wooden plough of a hundred years ago, is best seen from the road leading from Flotterton to Caistron, where the crooked ridges caused by the winding of the somewhat unwieldly yoke of oxen at the head-rigs are quite discernible. ^9 '7 Hist. MS.S. Commission (1901), vol. vi., pp. 126-7. '* Rothbury Parish Tithe Map, 1839. ''An iron goad, a sharp-pointed instrument used by the " gadsman " in driving a team of oxen, was found in a field at Flotterton a few years ago, which is now in the Black Gate Museum, Newcastle. GREAT TOSSON. 329 Allerdene, also known as Tosson Spital, was the "Hospital ■of St. Leonard of Alriburne," so frequently mentioned in deeds relating to the Hepple barony, of which Robt. de Heppall, in 1332, had the advowson. This hospice was held b}- the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem in England, for the entertainment of travellers, and had grants of land from numerous landowners in the locality. The pleasant farm-house, now in the occupation of Mr. Thos. Carr, is the probable site of the ancient hospitium. In 1715-34 " Tosson Spittle " was the freehold of Thos. Alder, of West Lilburn. Edward Donkin was the owner of " Allerdean Spittle " in 1826 ; it is now the property of Lord Armstrong. The owner of Rye Hill, and its quaint old farm-house, in J774, was Robert Storey, of Little Tosson; in 1826, \Vm. Readhead, in whose family it still remains. Wolfershiel, also the property of Lord Armstrong, lies close in at the base of Ravenscleugh. Li 1774, Robt. Robson of Wolfershiel Hall was the owner. Tosson ]\Iill, at the beginning of the last century, was the joint property of Matthew Thompson of Sharperton Edge, Robt. Thompson of Coldside, Matthew Thompson of Debdon, and Richard Thompson of Cold Park. We shall return to the ancient village of Great Tosson. The ruins of the border tower of the Ogles stands on a slight eminence on the brink of a magnificent spring of water, w hich, in days gone by, would doubtless form the water supjjly to its occupants. Time and ruthless hands ha\c both dealt hardly with the old pele at Tosson. All tliat remains of it is a portion of the ma.ssive walls to the height of 30 or 40 feet, the only p(jints of architectural interest being the immense thickness of its walls — which at the base measure nine feet — and a window opening iiigh up in the wall at the north-cast corner, showing traces of an inside spiral stair. Tlie tower, in form, is an oblong f)f 42 feet from east to west, by 36 from north to south, and has been a 15(jrder pele of the ordinary -30 UPPER COQUETDALE. type, with probably a barmek\-n for the protection of cattle, the door being, as in most examples left us, on the south side. The strength and tenacity of the masonry is remarkable ; althouijh the larye outer stones of ashlar work have been stripped off for building purposes years ago, the inner part of the wall yet remains intact — the rubble or filling, com- posed of small boulders from the bed of Coquet, has been run in or grouted with hot lime, the method in which all peles and strong houses on the Borders were built. There is no date on the walls to indicate the time of its erection, there- fore its age must be left to conjecture ; and as the towers of Whitton, Cartington, Thropton, Hepple, and others in Coquetdale appear in the list of Northumbrian fortlets of 1415, and no mention is made of one being at Great Tosson, until the Survey of Bowes and Elleker, in 1541, we may surmise that the tower was built somewhere about the end of the 15th or beginning of the i6th century. The Survey of Border Towers during the reign of Henry VIII., 1541, reports that : — " At Great Tosson is a tower of the lorde Ogle's Inherytance, not in good rep'ac'ons," which fact may be attributed to the rava^^es of border warfare. It was one of a line of towers extending from Harbottle to Warkworth as a defence against the frequent inroads of the Scotch free- booters, although in these plundering expeditions the Scots were only paying back the lawless Northumbrians in their own coin, both parties being equally blamable in the matter^ as an old historian writes : — " Not but the Northumbrians were as guilty as the Scots of such Misdemeanours in some Measure, but that the Scots being the poorer and more warlike, the Inhabitants of this County were the greatest Sufferers." And no doubt the constant!}' harried Northum- brian had every reason to exclaim : — " God send the land deliverance !" Frae every reiving riding Scot ; We'll sune hae neither cow nor ewe, We'll sune hae neither staig nor stot." fJREAT TOSSON. 33 I Lord Wharton, Lord DepLiU'-General of the Marches, established in 1553 a complete system of watch and ward to be kept in every township throughout the English Borders. At Great Tosson there had " A Watch to be kept at the Stelle-ende, with two Men nightly, of the Inhabitors of Mykle Tosson, Setters and Searchers, Win. Gallin and JoJui Sharpe- rowe ; " and at Little Tosson, " A Watch to be kept at the Rakesyde Hill, with two Men nightl\-, of the Inhabitors of Little Tosson and Fa7-melayi\' necessary precautions not onl)' against the Scots, but against the men of Tynedale and Redesdale, who were as little to be trusted as the war}' Scot from over the border." It was also enacted when the watch raised the " outcry," " That every man do rise and follow the fray upon the Blowing the Horn, Shout, or Outer}-, upon pain of Death." A trace of William Gallin, and a reminder of the days of raid and foray, is found in a strongl}--\val!ed enclosure in a well-chosen hidden spot on the northern face of Ravens- heugh, still known as " Gallin's Faad." Both W' illiam Gallin and John Scharperowe were amongst the eighteen out of Tosson who were at the muster of armed men on Robert's Law in i 538. During the great internecine struggle of the seventeenth century the tide of war, with its train of evils, penetrated even to the remote vale of Coquet. Most of its leading families espoused the cause of Charles I., and when, in the summer of 1648, the army of that unfortunate monarch was defeated by Cromwell at Prestfjn, Sir Marmaduke Langdale's troops, many of whom were from the Coc|uct and the Aln, retreated northwards and (obtained shelter amongst their friends in the neighbourhood. Major Sanderson, of Lambert's rarliiimcntarian arm}-, was sent in i)ursuit, who, in a letter reporting his success, sa}'s : — " I'"riday, 30 Junii. According to agreenunt ue rendevouzed about eleven of the clocke, at Cliolh^rfdnl, three miles north of Ilcxam. We hasted aw a}- that niL;ht, and marched si.x- ;^J,2 Uri'KR COQUETDALE. teen miles from Hcxani to Ilarterton ; bated our horses two houres ; then mounted ai^ain and marched from thence. I had the command of the forlorne hope. The first towne we fell into was Tossons, where wee took a lieutenant and sixe of his dragoons, all in bed ; the next town was Lurbottle, when we took 60 horse and 60 men, all in bed." Population of Great Tosson, Little Tosson, and Rye Hill — 1801 — 150. 181 1 — 119. 1821 — no. 1831 — 195. 1841 — 209. 1851 — 86. 1861 — 78. 1871 — 119. 1881 — 154. 1891 — 132. 1901 — 94. The road from Rothbury, b\' Tosson Mill to Great Tosson, leads up b\' the side of a copious stream of water — a runnell from one of the numerous springs that gush from the northern slopes of Simonside. The banks of this little brawling stream are clad with a profusion of wild flowers that delight the heart of the botanist. A list of the plants found here will be enumerated in our flora of the valley. On reaching Tosson, and passing the farm-house of Ancroft Glebe, the first object that meets the eye is the ruins of the pele tower. On the opposite side stands the Tower farm-house, once the village inn. In the wall east of the porch can yet be seen the stump of the oaken beam on which swung the sign of the " Royal George." When it ceased to be an inn the sign was taken down, and it is told that Cuddy Wintrip, the joiner, '' grat" when he mounted the ladder with his saw to cut it down. For upwards of a century, the Donkins, a well-known Northumbrian famil\-, farmed at Great Tosson. Shortly before 1720, Samuel Donkin — the "Patriarch" — came into Coquetdalc, and settled at Great Tosson. He died at the ripe old age of 102, and was buried in Rothbury Churchyard, on May 6th, 1791. Members of this numerous family farmed at Whitton Dene, Rye Hill, Spital, and Plainfield. The wedding of one of them — William Donkin of Tosson — took place on the 7th of June, 1750, and was remarkable for its festivities and the length of the cavalcade which accompanied the pair GREAT TOSSON. 333 from the Parish Church of Rothbur)- to Tosson, \\hen, accord- ing to the custom of those days — " Four rustic fellows wait the while To kiss the bride at the Church stile ; Then vigorous mount their felter'd steeds — To scourge them going, head and tail, To win what countr)- call ' the /'«■///" The Gentleman s Magasine, speaking of wedding customs, sa)'s : — " Perhaps the most extensive entertainment of this kind that ever took place in Northumberland, was held at Tosson, near Rothbury, about the middle of the last centurj-. It occurred on celebrating the nuptials of Mr. William Donkin and Miss Eleanor Shotton, both of that place. There were provided no less than 120 quarters of lamb, 44 quarters of veal, 20 quarters of mutton, a great quantity of beef, 12 hams, with a suitable number of chickens, &c., which was concluded with eight half ankers of brand}' made into punch, twelve dozens of cider, a great many gallons of wine, and ninety bushels of malt brewed into beer. The compan}- consisted of 550 ladies and gentlemen, who were diverted with the music of twenty-five fiddlers and pipers, and the whole was conducted with the utmost unanimity." One of the last (jf the olden-time Coquetdale farmers — George Turnbull of Great Tosson — died in 1S78 in his seventy-eighth )'car. Mr. Turnbull was a man of local celebrit}-. Me was possessed of infinite humour, and his convivial disposition and happ\' imitation of the ludicrous, made him a favourite in Coquetdale. He resided in the parish all his life, and was highly respected by his neigh- bours. Our space limit prevents us from relating the man)' freaks and practical jokes perpetrated by the characters that once resided in Tosson ; for Cuddy Wintrip, the joiner ; Clem. Haa', the kilnman ; John Donkin, fhc farmer; and "Hunting Ned" — who once, when folhnving the fo.vhoiuids, put his horse to the "'ihruin" and safely leaped the chasm — were ever rearl)' for an\- scheme of fun anrl frolic. 334 UIM'ER COOUETDALE. Lewis Proudlock, the " Coquetdale Minstrel," once kept a small schot)l at Tosson, and amongst other poems of excellent worth he wrote an amusini^ ballad on the troubles of " Cuddy Wintrip," occasioned by Cuddy having in his possession a " crawin' hen," which was considered by the rural population ■of Northumberland at that tiine as being very unlucky : — "CUDDIE AND HIS CRAWIN' HEN." 'Mam; cantrips, charms, as hurtfu'een, And thin<;s vmlucky to be seen, I'lann'd hy auld schemy Clootie, A croonin' cow, a crawin' hen, A whistling maid, fii' weel ye ken, Are deemed aye unlucky. Cuddle had a crawin' hen. And muckle did it grieve him ; For what ane 'twas amang his ten That did of luck Ijereave him. He kent na, which rent aye His anxious heart wi' pain ; Sae tret still, he fret still To know the odious ane. " O dool!" — quo' he, "how can I thrive?" That hatefu' hen does me deprive. Of gowd, and gear, and a' ! — By her curst cantrip, horrid craw, A'at's fortunate she drives awa Frae my poor cottage wall — O cou'd I by some project sly This fatal blastie ken ! What ane she's, cou'd I but descry, Amang my layers ten ; Wi' will, then, I'd kill, then, This worker of my wae ; And cope yet, and hope, yet, To thrive some future day. " I'm thinkin' now upon a plot — To make sure wark, the total lot, I think, I'se gaun and kill- But then !— it is a real pity The innocent blood wi' the guilty Relentlessly to spill. But what, if I shou'd try to watch her? And see her when she craws — This is the only plan to catch her. Such light my judgment thraws : — GREAT TOSSON. JJ 35 I'll straight then, this night, then, Attempt this noble plan ; Then — heed well, I'se speed well — ril nab her if I can." That vera foll'wing morn, 'tis said, He 'rose and to the hen-house slade Before the clock struck twa ; There, armed he, wi' a ten-foot lat. Stood watciiing, and at whiles he sat, Or lean'd against the wa' : While hail and rain pour'd down amain Without the heath-rooft biggin'. And winds loud blew, wi' fury flew, And threat to tirl its riggin' : Tho' dreadfu', he heedfu', Ne'er minded what did fa', But tent was, and bent was, To see the blastie craw. At length a birkie 'mang the rest Began to raise her piled breast, Syne flapt her wings fu' braw : And bade defiance all around. By screachin' out an eldritch sound. An eerie cantrip craw : But Cuddie mark't her out fu' gleg, Syne, wi' revengful bound. He took her wi' his lat a peg. And brought her to the ground ; He, pleased then, her seiz'd then, And ri'ed her neck in twain ; And glorious, victorious, Cried ' craw ye witch again.' " ^ °*Thc I'osthumous Poetical Works of Lewis I'roudlock. Easton, Jedburgh, 1826. -Printed by Walter J J 6 UPPER COQUETDALE. CHAPTER XXV II. CAISTRON AND WREIGHILL. Caislion and Wrcis^hill not members of Hepple Barony — The patrimony of Patrick of Dunbar — Grants to Newminster Abbey by John de Kestern — Robert de Greystock— Linked with Greystock Barony, 1272— Hugh the Hermit and John of ^^aydenley, Rechises near Caistron— Caistron and Wreighill, Crown k\nd.s, 1568 — KilHngworth and Hall (Caistron), 1663 — Potts, Dotchen, Humble, and Hall (Wreighill), 1663- 1710- 1715 — Halls and Snowdon (Caistron), 1774 — Mr. Jacob Daglish and Dr. Murray, 1903 — Farmers at Caistron, 1828 — The Storeys of Caistron — Wreighill once a considerable village— Ravaged by the Scots, 141 2— Depopulated by the Plague, 1665 — Beacon on Wreighill Pyke— Border Watches, 1553— George Conghron. CAISTRON and Wreighill, although lying in the midst of Hepple lands, were never included within the franchise of that barony. These two old townships first appear in the pages of history as the patrimony of Patrick, the son of Edgar, and then of John, the son of Patrick de Kestern, ^ who, about the end of the twelfth century, granted certain lands to the monks of Newminster, both in Kestern and Werihill.2 These grants of lands, granges, rights of way,. " pittances of bread and ale," and other privileges, continued to be given by the de Kesterns and the Greystockss until a very small portion of the manor of Caistron remained. Robert de Greystock granted the whole of " Maydenley " to ' The Kesterns were descended from Patrick, son of Edgar, son of Cospatrick the Earl, ancestor to the great house of Dunbar. — Newminster Cartulary, preface, p. II. ''Newminster Cartulary, p. 188. 3 \io(\gsov\'s, Northumberland, partiii., vol. i., p. 218. The following are recorded as holding lands in Caistron in socage of the barony of " de Greystoke" : — Henry de Rodum holds from John de Kestern 40 acres in Kestern for one pound of pepper. John de Lettewell, 15 acres for 18 denr. (lo/b). Roger de Horseleye, 25 acres for I mark (ancient value 30/-). Abbot of Newminster, 4 caracutes (400 acres) free. Monastery of Halistan, 40 acres free. — (Testa de Nevill, circa. 1272.) CAISTRON AMI WREIGHILL. 337 Hugh the hermit, and John de Kestern granted seven acres to " Blessed John of Maydenle\' and Hugh of Hepes,4 who appear to have been recluses at some forgotten place on the Coquet near Caistron, where, like the hermit of W'arkworth, they cultivated a little plot of ground. "5 The monks also had grants of lands and rights of way in Thirnham, Sharperton, Hepple, Bickerton, and Flotterton. Some years after the suppression of monasteries, the Coquet- dale lands of Xewminster remained in the hands of the Crown. In 1568, Caistron, W'reighill, and Kidland, the confiscated possessions of the monks, are recorded in the Feodary's Book as held b}- the Crown. Luke Killingworth is the owner in 1663, while \\'m. Hall and Edward Hall are the owners of Caistron Mill. At the same time Geo. Pott, Jno. Hall, W'm. Hall, Roger Dotchen, and Stephen Humble are the proprietors of Wreighill. In the Poll Book of 17 10 John Hall is a freeholder in Caistron, and Thomas Detchin in Wreighill. In 1715 we find John Hall and Geo. Humble in Caistron; in 1774, William Hall; and m 1826, John Snowdon. Mr. Jacob Daglish of Tynemouth and Dr. Murra)- of New- castle are now the owners of Caistron. A vivid picture of the lawlessness of the thirteenth century dwellers in Coquet water is found in the Assize Rolls of the county, where we read that William Fisher, of Kestern, was hanged for killing Gilbert of Fcrnley ; and that Edgar of Kestern was taken on suspicion of stealing. His chattels were consficated but, '" 7iiilla habuil catalla" he had none. Caistron is described in 181 1 thus: — "This pleasant village stands upon the north brink of the river Coquet, and was formerly the property of three gentlemen, all of the name of Hall, to distinguish whom they were denominated Duke, ^ John, the son of John of Kt-stcrn, for ihc salvation of my soul, of all my ances- tors, and the soul of Catherine, my wife, and of my children, and of all my succes- .sors, do f^rant 7 acres, &c., &c. — Newmiiislcr Cartulary^ \<. 138. 5 Ibid, preface 16. 22 33S UPPER COQUETDALE. Lord, and Law\-er ; a descendant of the first bequeathed a certain sum (£6) to be paid annually out of his estate towards the support of a schoolmaster in the village." This school was discontinued when, in 1872-3, Sir Walter B. Riddell built the present school-house at Hepple. In 1828, the farmers at Caistron were John Snowdon and George Storey. The " Storeys of Caistron " was long a house- hold word in Upper Coquetdale. Mr. Storey, an advanced agriculturist, was the first to introduce the iron plough into the district. It was made of cast iron, and weighed a stone less than the wooden ones, and cost £4 12s. od. At that period there were forty persons in Caistron. We here give a list of the field-names on Caistron farm (1840), and a few of the thirteenth century names of plots of land mentioned in the Newminster grants : — Buck Close, Well Close, High Camp Field,^ Dodridge ^1840), Pondene Wite- chestre, Sevenwells, Stokewell, Heiwelflat, Heichester, 7 Hey- well, Heyhope, Chestres, Ywinhope, Benelandes; Schuderlau, Dedderig, Swannwelflat, Haukeslau, Brotherslaws, Ganelok- furlang. " Warton is a bonnie place, So is Flotterton Haa', But when ye come to Caistron It's the bonniest of aa'." {Local Kliynie.) Wreighill, about a mile west of Caistron, was once a considerable village, but now consists of cattle folds and a solitary dwelling. In 18 16 there were twenty-eight persons li\-ing at Wreighill ; at the present time there are only four, and an old resident in the neighbourhood once told the writer that he could remember seeing " the reek of six chimleys rising the first thing in the morning at the Wreighill." On * Camp Field — The remains of a British camp are yet traceable in a field to the east of Caistron, which is probably the origin of its place-name. ' Heichester— A British camp, near Wreighill, is now known as Hetchester. There is a large tumiilus in a field below the camp. CAISTRON AND WREIGHILL. 339 ^Ia\- 25, 141 2, the village was pillaged and burnt by a band of Scotch moss-troopers, in revenge for the loss the\' had sustained by the stout resistance of its defenders in a previous raid. In 1665 the village of Wreighill was visited by a worse calamitN", when nearlv the whole of its inhabitants were swept away by the plague. The contagion was brought in a packet received by a \oung lad\-, named Miss Handyside, from London. The first victim was the young lady herself, and the dead were buried in such places as it was supposed neither spade nor plough would turn up. But a few years ago the quarrymen, while working the limestone for the neigh- bouring kiln, came upon a large quantity of human bones, supposed to have been those \\ho had died of the plague. On the summit of the Wreighill P\'ke, which rises 718 feet above sea level, and which is a prominent object in Coquet valley, once stood a signal-post or beacon. During the earl}' part of the last century the post, with the foot-holds still entire, formed the joists of a stable at Wreighill. In the "Order of the Marches made b\' Lord Wharton," Oct., 1553, watches were set in the neighbourhood of Wreighill, as follows : — "' The Blakestayle, to be watched with two Men nightly, of the Inhabitors of the Town of Heppell. The Harre-fordc, to be Avatched with two Men nightly, of the Inhabitors of Wright-hill and Kystrome ; Setters and Searchers of these two W'atches, Gawin Hoinble and George Dithaut. Ellelaiues, to be watched with Two Men nightly, of the Inhabitors of Flottertone."^ George Coughron, the distinguished youthful mathematician who, while a stripling, excelled all his competitors in the mathematical sciences, was born at Wreighill in 1752, but died at the early age of twenty-one. His mother was the daughter \' the monks' pasture lands in Kestern are Adam and John of " rirwyt."3 ', '■', '^f Neiviiiiiislif Carl II /a ry, \^\). 117, 141, 132. .14- UrrKR COQUETDALK. Circa. 1272, the barons of Greystock and Hepple both have lands in 'rrc\vhitt.4 At the same time " Michael de Tyrevvic" holds 12 acres for 8 denr. (4/8). 5 Amongst the possessions of Robert de Heppale in 1277 are " Nethertirwhit and Over- lir\\hit."6 The name of Hugonis Galon appears as an owner in " Ovcrtirwhit " in 1360.7 But the manor in 1364 is held by William Tailbois of Hepple.^ In 1389 " Tirwhite Villa" is still included in Hepple barony under Walter Tailbois.9 In the escheats of 15 Hen. VI. (1437) Robertus Ogle, Senr., Miles, is found to have possessed, along with Hepple, the village of " Netherwhite," with four messuages and 60 acres of land.^° The Feodary's Book, 1568, records Thomas Gallone as the owner of the villages of " Trewit et Trewhit."" According to the custom of that age, when monasteries and religious houses were springing up all o\er the land, the following grants were made by the various owners in Trewhitt to the Priory of" Brenkbourne," before the year 1253. "John, son of Patrick of Kesterne, gave a messuage, 16 oxgangs of land, and 30 acres of meadow in Great Tirwhite," and " Agnes de Tirwhit gave a toft and croft in Upper Tirwhit." There was also an " Exchange of land in Tirwhit, between the Prior}^ and John and Adam, sons of Michael de Tirwhite," besides grants by " William Fitz-Geoffrey of a toft and croft in Upper Tirwhit;" "Adam (Frater Nich. Parvi) moiet}' of a mill in Great Tirwhit;" Thomas Pltz-Alun of lands in Upper Tirwhit ; " " Gregory de Otterington of land in Upper Tirwhit ;" and " Adam, son of Helye de Tirwhit of land in Tirwhit." The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem in England, or Knights Hospitallers, who had a Hospitium for the entertainment of Travellers at AUerdene (Rye Hill, Spital), also held pos.sessions in "Tyrwyt."'^ These goodly acres, the * Hodg-son'.s Northumberland, part iii., vol. i., pp. 206, 212. 5 Ibid, p. 218. ^ ', ^ ', '% IWd, part iii., vol. ii., pp. 307, 328, S2, 2^6, 272 " Ibid, part iii., vol. iii., p. Ixx. '^ Brinkburn Cartulary. THE TREWHITTS. 343 pious gifts of the ancient land-owners in Coquetdale, became, when at the Reformation all religious houses were ruthlessly- swept away, the property of the Crown, to be sold, exchanged, or given amongst the most favoured count}- nobles and courtiers of King Henry V^III. Towards the end of the sixteenth centur\- the history of " Tirwhit " becomes divided into two sections — High Trewhit and Low Trewit — which, although they are one township, shall be described separately. LOW TREWIT. The handsome farm-house, and hamlet of Low Trewit occupies a site on one of those many pleasant spots found in L'pper Coquetdale. Standing on a gentle incline, on the banks of the Rithe, ^3 amid a park-like surrounding of undula- ting green fields, with the Simonside hills in the background — the little valley of the Rithe presents a charming pastoral scene of much interest, well known to the angler, of which Roxb}- in his Coquetdale Fishing Song for 1843, thus writes : — " Yestreen ihc clouds hung few an' mild, An' saft as maidens when they weep ! Or gently lay on Simonside, Like bairns that cry themselves to sleejj ; I5ut, now, out ower the mountain tap, They're sweepin' wi' an angry sky ; The veerin' blast blaws dead south-wast — We'sc cheat ihcm a' an' up the Wrcigh I" A pcle tower once stood at Low Trcw it, of which there is now no trace. '4 Numerous green mounds, which appear to '^ Rithe — We are inclined to think that Rithe, and not " Wreighburn," is the original name of this little stream which rises amongst the hills l>ehind Alnhani, and enters the Cocjuet at Thropion. It is over two miles from Wrcigliill, whose "water shed" flows towards the Coquet, not the Rithe. Rithe — by which name it is known amongst the inhabitants of the valley — is Anglo-.Saxon for " rimning water," a term most ap|)licable to this brawling mountain torrent, especially in its upper reaches. '■• While s(jme alterations were being made at Low Trewil, a small fourteenth century window was discovered, which Mr. A. .Snaith preserved by having it built into the west gable of the old farm-house. This window probably belonged to Hugo Oallon's tower of 14 15. 344 UPPER COQUET!) ALE. be old foLuulations. are seen in a small field overlooking the Rithe, north of tlie modern farmhouse, while a little to the west is a range of similar mounds, said to be the site of the o\(\ \illage of Low Trewit. In 1415 the tower was in the occupation of Hugo Gallon. The list o[ Border fortlets for that year says: — "Turris de Tir- \vhit inferioris — Hugonis Galon." Around this tower would be clustered the dwellings of the servants and dependants, seeking protection from the outrages of those evil days. This family is early connected with Trewhitt. We find in 1249 a *' Henri Galun Jurator on Inq. post. mort. at Rothbury," while in 1269 "Adam Galun" and "John de Kesterne " were ap- pointed conservators of the rixer " Coket " to prevent the great destruction of salmon when coming up the river to spawn. This thirteenth centur}- record, besides throwing a side light on the local customs of that period, tells an old tale which seems to prove the love of illegal sport to be hereditary in our sturdy men of Coquet water. The same liking for salmon poaching is as strong in this the twentieth century as it was then. Another employment which the borderer was nothing loth to be engaged in is shown in the following, where Edward Gallon and his retainers are paid the sum of 40s. for their services in 1519 at the casting down of several border for- tresses on the Scotch side, amongst others that of Cessford, a stronghold of the notorious Kerrs, a clan who frequently com- mitted great havoc in Coquetdale.^5 In 1523 we find Edward Gallon serving in the wars against the Scotch, and in 1525 he was paid four marks for " border service." Again, on the Muster Roll of 1538, are found the names of Edward Gallon and Robert Gallon as able men with horse and harness. According to the Survey of Bowes and Ellerker in 1541 there was — " At nether Trewhytt a toure of thinherytance of Edward Gallon in measurable good repac'ons." In the " Cockdail " watch of 1553 it was ordered : — '5 See page 163. THE TREWHITTS. 345 " Trewyck-burne, to be watched with two Men nightly, of the inhabitors of Xethertrewt." " Baxtonehughe, to be watched with two Men nighth', of the Inhabitors of Overtrewycke ; Setters and Searchers of these Watches, John Galland and George Swanne." " Overseers of this Watch, Anthony Ogle and William Gallande." From the thirteenth, until the beginning of the seventeenth ccntur}', the Gallons appear to have been an important family at Low Trewit, but shortly after this a portion of Trewit came into the possession of a member of the Cartington family. Sir Ephraim W'iddrington married Juliana, daughter and •co-heir of Giles Gallon of Trewit, and by her had a moiet}' of Trewit. Henry, his eldest son, li\ed at Low Trewit, and died December 7th, 1625. In 1663, the owners of both High Trewhit and how Trewit, and the Mill''^ were two persons named Geo. Pott. The Potts •of Upper Coquetdale were a large and influential family, and took the Parliamentary side during the Ci\ il War of the seventeenth century. One of them, " Michael Potts of Sharp- erton, vintner, was a witness against Charles I., January 4th, 1648. "'7 Therefore, they would probably procure Low Trewit, the confiscated estate of the Widdringtons, who were staunch Royalists, at a nominal price. At the beginning of the last ■century, Low Trewit was the ]Droperty of Messrs. Henry and John Hoag. In 187 1 it was purchased by Sir. W. G. Armstrong, C.ll, of Cragside. The farm-house has been rebuilt, and many improvements made on the farm, which is composed of first- clas.s arable and pasture lands. Races and sports were held in former years on 'I'rcwit Moor, to which the rurrd population eagerly lookrd forward to ''An old upper mill-slone was found in " Pate'.s Rig," a field at l.nw Ticwii, in 18S7, liy Mr. James Sliiel, then Lord .Arnistrontj's farm steward. The stone nieasure, fiii inio ihe edge of the hole at the centre of the stone. ■niist. n.N.C, vol, xii., 11. 81. 346 UPPER COQUETDALE. as a holida>-, for " Truffet Races " was to them the great event of the year. An interesting flora is found in the neighbourhood of Trewit. There the Yellow Mimulus grows in great abundance, the Meianchol}- Plume Thistle is seen in the swampy ground, while the glossy green leaves and blue flowers of the Periwinkle and the bright yellow of the Golden Rod and St. John's Wort adorn a rocky cliff that overhangs the Rithe. A fine sheet of water eight acres in extent, formed by a dam thrown across Foxton burn, the work of the late Lord Armstrong, adds a new beauty to the scene, and shelters the coot, the wild duck, and other water fowls, its margin fringed by a luxurious growth of rushes and sedges, and its waters stocked with splendid trout. HIGH TREWHITT. High Trewhitt, during the reign of Charles I., belonged to the Claverings of Callaly. Sir John Clavering and his three sons (Sir Robert, Ralph, and Thomas) took an active part in the cause of the Ro)'al part}- during the unhappy troubles of the Great Rebellion. In 1644 Sir John was taken prisoner by the Roundheads, and died in London in 1647. His son. Sir Robert, at his " owne chardge," raised a regiment of foot and a :roop of dragoons, who did good service for the Royalists at Morpeth, Corbridge, and other places. When the Parliamen- tarians came into power High Trewhitt was sequestrated and a portion of it .sold. This was effected in 1652. In 1663 the owner was George Pott, of the same family as the owner of Low Trewit. In the Poll Book of 1747, John Pringle has a vote on his freehold at High Trewhitt. On the door-head of the old farm- house were the letters J. P., 1735, which, without doubt, were the initials of the owner, John Pringle. High Trewhitt afterwards came into the possession of the Atkinsons of Lorbottle, but in 1897 it was purchased by Mr. Watson- Armstrong. The old thatched house of the Pringles is now THE TREWHITTS. 347 in ruins, and a nice farm-house has been erected, which is in the occupation of Mr. Jos. Xichol. The Nichols have been residents in Upper Coquetdale for over two centuries, and the present famil}' have farmed at High Trewhitt for thirty-seven years. Trewhitt estate proper, consisting of Trewhitt Hall, Trewhitt Demesne, and Xetherton Burn Foot, with other lands and woodlands at Xetherton and High Trewhitt, in all about 800 acres, was offered for sale in 1878 b\- Messrs. S. Donkin & Son, at the Auction Mart, Token House Yard, London, when the bidding stopped at ^42,000. It was after- wards purchased by Sir W. G. Armstrong, C.B., of Cragside. TREWHITT HALL. The mansion house of Trew hitt stands upon a commanding eminence on the eastern bank of the Rithe, surrounded by a richly-timbered park, and " lies within the bosom of one of the most fertile valleys in England, at the base of the southern Cheviot range of hills, and in the midst of the most fascmating highland scenery in Northumberland." The old Hall stood where Trewhitt Demesne farmhouse now stands. The modern Hall was built in 1805 by the late John Smart, the eminent antiquary, and is used as an occasional shooting box for Cragside. At Trewhitt Hall there is a well kept garden, with good walls for fruit trees, and the borders are filled with a fine collection of old-fashioned plants and flowers such as our forefathers loxed to look upon. A short distance to the south of the hall is the site of the Roman road which traverses the moors from Rochester, in i'ledewater, to Bridge of Aln.'^ To the north of the Hall is ilie rising ground fcjrming part of Xetherton Jiurn I-'oot I-'arm, called "Robert's Law." On it arc the remains of an ancient circular camp. On this knoll, in 1538, the martial gathering of our warlike ancestors took place, as already noted, "^' when there '" See |>age i S5- " See p:if;i; 1 70. 348 UPl'KR COQUETDALE. mustered on Robert's Law, along with the other able inhabit- ants of " Cokedailc," the " thieves of Redesdale," as they were politely called. We who now live on the border-land ought to be thankful that our lot is cast in happier times. No *' outcry," or "border fray" alarms us; our flocks and herds graze unmolested on the green hill sides of the Cheviots or amid the lowland pastures, and all the vale presents an aspect of peace and plenty, in striking contrast to the stormy days of old. "Now we can ride the Border side And brethren meet at every turn ; But then the meed was hang and head, To ravish, pillage, slay, and burn."' The following field-names are taken from the parish tithe map of 1 841: — Low Trewit, West Moor, Earn's Law, Night Folds, North Moor ; owner, William Doune Gillon ; occupier, Christopher Bolam. High Trewhitt — Well Pill Close, North, South, East, and West Slushes, Horse Close ; owner, Adam Atkinson, the \-ounger ; occupier, Adam Atkinson, the elder. Demesne — Carribee Islands, Wild Duck Field, Short Ridge, The Lawn, White Close, Long Lee ; owner, William Lynn Smart ; occupier, Henry Storey. Certain lands in the Trewhitts, granted b\- John de Kestern to the canons of Brinkburn, can still be traced. The Tirwhit Superior and Tirwhit Inferior, mentioned in the Cartulary, are High and Low Trewhitt. Roberdslawc is Robert's Law on Burn Foot farm. Pot Acre is probably Pate's Rig in Low Trewit, and the Backses in the Demesne ma}' represent the Backstajihoflat of the charter, and the BaxtonhugJic of 1553, when it was watched with two men nightly of the Lihabitors of Overtrewycke. Population of Trewhitt Township : — 1801 — 94. 1811 — no. 1821 — 117. 1831 — 137 1841 — 130 1851 — 116 1861 — 108 1871 — 109. 1881 — 98. 1891 — 96. 1901 — 93. CAKTINGTOX. 349 CHAPTER XXIX. CARTIXGTOX. An Interesting Manor — Held b)- Ralph Fitz-Main, the King's Forester, 1154 — Ralph Frebern, 1234— John de Kerlington, 1278 — Edmond, Earl of Lan- caster, I2Q6— The de Beaumonts, 1339-41-69— Henry, Duke of Lancaster, 1360 — John de Carlington, 1415 — Sir Edward Radc'.iffe, 1494 — Roger Widdrington, 1601— John Talbot, 1715— ^^argaret, Queen of Scotland, at Cartington, 1515 — Roger ^Viddrington, a Royalist Scout, 1639 — Cartington Sequestrated— Castle "pulled down" — Castle Repaired, 1887 — Mr. C. C. Hodge's description — Widdiington Entries in Rothbury Parish Registers, 1654-96 — The Mill — Chirnells Moor — Chapel Well — Field-names — Long Tenure of the Crawfords — Curious Rent Statistics, 1815-1903 — Population — Surroundings of Cartington. CARTINGTON township is situated on the northei'n confines of Rothbun- Parish. The traditions and associations interwoven throughout the chequered history of this ancient manor are of great interest. As with nearl\' all the old vills and manors in Upper Coquetdale, no record is frjund of Cartington until about a century after the Norman Conquest, when it is found to be held in capite by Ralph P'itz- Main, the king's forester, on a tenure of forest sergeancy. The Fitz-Mains appear to have been connected with the manor of Cartington until the fourteenth century, but were not the .sole owners, for we find the following names con- temporary with theirs in the Pipe Rolls and other documents as holding lands in Cartington: — Richard I'rebern de Kertinden, in 1234; J(jhn de Kertington, in 127S; ICdmond, I-larl of Lancaster, in 1296; Ilenr)- de lieaumont, in 1339; John de Beaumont, in 1341 ; Henry, iXike of Lancaster, in 1360; and John de Beaumont, in 1369. After this the fann'l\-, who took the surname of Cartington, appears to have held the manor, rising at the same time into a count)' famil)- of some impcjrtance, and others who |)reviousl)- had an interest 350 Uri'ER COgUETDALE in the manor cnlircl}- disappear. The John de Cartington, who held the " Turris de Kartyngton " in 141 5, was probably the same who, in 1428, and again in 1433, was elected one of tlie knights of the shire. In 1458, another John de Cartington was one of the commissioners appointed, along with Henry, Earl of Northumberland, and others, to raise a body of archers in the count}'. Towards the close of tlie fifteentli century the name of Cartington becomes extinct ; and Ann, the daughter and heiress of the last John de Cartington, having married Sir Edward Radcliffe of Derwentwater, the manor was transferred, on the death of her father, about 1494, from a Cartington to a Radcliffe, only to be, about a century later (1601), again transferred b\' marriage from the RadcHffes to one of the W'iddringtons, an old Northumbrian family, Roger Widdrington having married Mary Radcliffe of the Dilston line. Ear]\- in the eighteenth century the Talbots were the owners of Cartington, but John Talbot being involved in the Jacobite rising of 171 5, apparently lost the estate, for very soon after that date it became the propert)' of Giles Alcock, a Newcastle merchant; and in 1883 it was purchased by Sir \\'. G. Armstrong. When the early owners of Cartington had once made it their place of residence, building to themselves a border stronghold, gathering round them the various manorial acces.sories, the mill to grind the corn of the tenants, free warren, an extensive park or chase enclosed by a massive boundary wall, and other rights pertaining to a lordship, we find them coming to the front, filling important posts of honour in the county, and taking an active part in all border tran.sactions during the turbulent age in which they lived. In 1502, and again in 1507, Sir Edward Radcliffe, the first of the name at Cartington, was high sheriff of Northumberland, afterwards a knight of the body to Henry VIII., and a knight banneret. He and his squire, Roger Fenwick, lieutenants of the Middle Marches, had, for their service on the borders, I If* V ■'.■if, .^^^::^^Ss^^£-45^^^P. C-1 '-.'^■^i 1 — , 2':i fe^itlsrC'::^'-:',,,^; *'^'^M^'---''t- -■'■■'' •f:"^^ i. ¥■ ' ?■ ' _<^Xi^Lt.:^^!»Z^ . '^' ( ;jn'_-f ' '&'■ Ty'a.^ CARTINtiTOX. 351 grants of lands in Edlingham, Shawdon, Hepple, Thropton, Yetlington, Callaly, and Chirnells. Sir Cuthbert Radcliffe for serving in the Scotch wars, and for assisting in the casting down of several Scotch border fortresses, received the sum of A- The )'ear 1 5 1 5 brought with it an important event in the domestic annals of Cartington when Margaret, Queen of Scot- land, having sta}'ed some weeks at Harbottle Castle — where she gave birth to a princess, who afterwards became Lady Lennox and mother of Lord Darnley — was brought to Carting- ton on her way south. A letter from Christopher Gurney to King Henry VIII., dated December 28th, 1515, sa\'s: — "On Monday, the i6th November, the Queen of Scots removed from Harbottle to a place of Sir Edward Ratcliffe's called Cartington, four miles off, where she remained four days. Removed on Saturday to the Abbe}^ of Bryngborne, five miles from Cartington ; on ]\Ionda\' to Morpeth, where she was met by Lord Ogle, the Abbot of Xewminster, and other gentlemen, by appointment of Lord Dacre. She was so feeble that she could not bear horses in the litter, but Dacre caused his servants to carry it from Harbottle to Morpeth." . . . Of her reception at Cartington we are not told; no doubt Lad}' .Anne Radcliffe would entertain her Ro)-al guest with all honour and attention while she remained within the walls of Cartington. On the night of October 29th, 1523, Lord Dacre, on his march north to join Surrey, quartered his troops, part of them at Rothbur}-, the other part of them at Cartington. During the reign of Elizabeth, Roger W'iddring- ton of Cartington and Harbottle, was for several years deputy warden of the Middle Marches under Sir Robert Care}-. " I allowed him, says Sir Robert, two horsemen, and he was employed by mc on all occasions, and for the time 1 remained there he did the Queen and country very much good." Roger Widdrington's duty would not be an ea.sy one, that of keeping the .Scotch freebooters on their own side of the border line. 352 UPPER COQUETDALF. Diirini; the great civil war between Charles I. and his rarliament, Roger Widdrington warnilv espoused the King's cause. When in 1639 the royalists were marching through Northumberland towards Berwick, he acted as guide. Edward Norgate, one of the officers in the royalist army, v.riting from Belford to secretary VVindebank, says :— " Roger Witherington is their scout, an old blade and well versed in these parts." Within the walls of Cartington Castle was kept at that time a large supply of arms and accoutrements, ready for the use of the Northumbrian royalists. On the morning of the second of August, in 1639, shortly after the "Pacification of Berwick," two carts under the charge of a commissary left the gates of Cartington Castle laden with 150 stand of arms, en route for Newcastle, the central magazine for the north. Roger Widdrington died in 1641,^ and was succeeded b)- his son. Sir Edward Widdrington, a baronet of Scotland, who in 1642 was created an English baronet. Sir Edward followed in the same loyal course as his father, for which he suffered severely at the hands of the Parliamentarians, as may be gathered from the petition presented to Charles II. in 1661, which states: — • " In obedience to the late King's proclamation, he left his dwelling in Northumberland on approach of the Scottish army, losing by spoil and plunder ;^ 1,900. Raised, with his kinsman, Lord Widdrington at their own charge, 2,000 foot and 200 horse to serve under Lord Newcastle, and part of another brigade ; was banished and sequestered after the battle of Marston Moor ; his wife fined ^400 for giving intelligence to the King's party ; and his chief house, Carting- ton Castle, worth ^8,000, pulled down." The initials E. W. 1654, seen on a stone in the .south wall of the castle, may record his return to Cartington, or, perhaps, have reference to the death of his eldest son, Roger Widdrington, who was ' Of Roger Widdrington's romantic marriage, in 1632, with Rosamond Reveley, the widow of Bertram Reveley of Mitford, for his second wife, we regret our space will not allow us to enter into any account. CARTIXCiTON. 353 buried in Rothbun- Church on the 25th of AIa\', 1654. On the 1st of Jul}-, 1648, Major Sanderson, with a party of Round- heads, made a forced march from Chollerford, North T}-ne, and arriving in Coquetdale earh- in the morning, surprised Great Tosson, where they took a heutenant and six dragoons, all in bed. They then proceeded to Lorbottle, and took sixty dragoons, also in bed ; on the same morning Cartington Castle stood a siege of two hours. The Roundhead officer's report to headquarters said : — " Cartington Castle, where Sir Richard Tempest was, stood out two hours, but we lost no men, onh- two horses killed."^ The following incident in connection with Cartington shows how strongly the belief in witchcraft was held b\- all clas.ses in Northumberland, even so late as the end of the seventeenth century. In 1682, Margaret Stothard, the reputed witch of Long Edlingham, was accused of having caused the death of a child at Lorbottle b\' looking at it with an "e\il eye." When the chikl first took ill, the father, ".seeing the childe in the sad condition, went up to Cartenton, to my ladye Widdrington, and told her the childe's condition, and the ladye's answer was, that she could not understand an)' dis- temper the child had by the circumstances they told her, unless the childe was bewitched." It is evident that dame Christiana Widdrington, of Cartington, although shorn of much of her former power, }'et continued to act the good Samaritan amongst the poor around her. On the brow of the hill, to the west of the castle, a weather-worn shield, with the arms of Sir Nicholas Sherburne, of Stoneyhurst,3 who, in 1688 resided at Cartington, is inserted 'Arch. yKliana, vol. xiv., \i. 399. ' ^ " Sir Nicholas, a slaunch Jacoliite. Too old and infirm to take active pari in reljellion of 1715. Died 16 Deer 1717 and with liiin ended the race of JShire- burne of Stonyhurst." Registry and Particulars of the Real Kstalcs in Northd of Sir Nicholas .Shire- burne of Slonyhir.st dated 12 April 1717. 7 farms in Snitter, farm of the tithes in Netherton, farms of Newhall, Shecpbanks, I'arkhead, Windyhaiigh, Diingeburne (?> 23 354 Ul'l'KR CUQUKTDALE, in the east i^able of the so-called nunnery, an alms-house founded, it is said, by Dame Man' Charlton, for four widows of her own faitli. The crest has been a unicorn's head, and on the scroll below, the third word of the motto, TANT QUE ]K PUIS, still remains. Underneath this shield is a widow's lozenge containing the arms of Sherburne and Bailey. This so-called nunnery is now the property of Thropton Roman Catholic Chapel.4 Cartington Castle, now in ruins, is about three miles N.N.W. from Rothbur\% and stands in a small plantation on the summit of Cartington Bank, a shoulder of Cartington Hill, which rises on the east nearly i,ooo feet above the sea, behind whose bleak and rocky ridges extend miles of heathery moorlands in the direction of Framlington, Rimside Moor, and x'\lnwick. On the west there spreads out to view the broad vale of Coquet, a rich and beautiful tract of country, bounded by the hills of Holystone and Harbottle, while beyond are seen the distant upland fells of Redesdale ; the river Coquet winding its silvery way through green haughs and tillage lands towards the parish town of Rothbury. A few miles to the north are the massive round-topped hills of the lofty Cheviot range — the ancient boundary between the two kingdoms — whose southern slopes were doubtless scanned by the inmates with many an anxious gaze from the topmost turret of " Kartyngton's" tower in Bygate Hall, Lungers Know, Burdhope, Featherwood, Cottonhope and Middle Quarter. Newhall and Sheepljanks and some land in Snitter leased from the Duke of Somerset. Certain tithes paid to the parsons of Alwinton and Rothbury. Yearly at Rothbury for assigned (?) Pennies 2s. 8d. Yearly to the Widows Almshouse of Cartington ;^6. (Archaological Jotinial, vol. 56, 1899.) (Signed) \V. Shireburne." ■• In the list of Roman Catholic Recusants, in 1677, are found the names of "Dame Cristiana Widdrington of Cartington, widow. Dame Mary Charleton of Cartington, widow. The widows of Sir Edward Widdrington and Sir Edward Charleton, who, despite the many intolerant measures passed against the Roman Catholics, were loyal to their faith. CARTINCTON. 3^:) those troublous days of yore. As there is neither date nor armorial bearings on any part of the ruins, the date or the builder of the tower cannot be determined It is e\-idently a structure of the fourteenth century.5 At the south angle of the larger tower is a semi- octagonal projecting turret show- ing a portion of the shaft of the nevvell stair which led from base- ment to roof The staircase was lighted bv narrow windows or arrow-slits pierced here and there in the ascent. Several of these are yet entire, through which at times the "grey goose wing" has doubtless whizzed. Doorwa}'s have opened out of the staircase into the apartments on each of the various floors. In the walls of the tower are seen several Avindow openings and the remains ■of a huge fireplace, around whose ingle nook we can easily imagine the brave knight with his sturdy men-at-arms foregathered, to recount by the rudd}' glare of the log fire, their feats of prowess in the chase or •of dought)' deeds of \alour performed in the last border raid. Now all is changed. The lofty turret and s])aci()us hall — the scene of many a revel — the ingle nook, m\- lad}-e's bower, 5 The list of Hordcr IlKlds nf 1415 describes the lower and its owner lluis: — ■"Turris de Kartynglon, Johis. Carlynglon."' The Survey of 1541 says: — "At Cartyngton ys a good fortresse of twoo loures and other slronge stone hou.ses of the Inherytance of the said Sr. Ctithhert KatcIyfTe, Kiiii^ht, and kei)te in good Tepac'ons. — Arch, .h'.liana, vol. .\iv., j)]). 17-44. I" t'l*^ Horder Walcii of 155.?: — ".\ Watch to be kept at the IVest-gntc of Car/iiif^^foii, with two Men nightly, of the Inhabitors o( Cartiiif;loii ; Sir 'I'ltoiiias Ih-ysn. j'reste. to be Setter and Searcher of the Watch. Overseers of ihe.se Watches, Ser Geori^e Ratilyffe, Knight, W'iiliaiii ^ restored in 1887, or as the late Mr. Bates remarked : — "Lord Armstrong nobl\- resolved to rescue Cartington from the destruction that had overtaken it, and laid bare its architec- tural histor)' by systematic excavations. In order that nothing might be done that could impair the historical and architectural interest of the fabric, he entrusted the direction of the work to Mr. C. C. Hodges," of He.xham. Mr. Hodges, with his wonted skill and e.xtensive knowledge of ancient architecture, carried out the difficult task of restoring the shattered ruin in an admirable manner. We here quote Mr. CARTIXGTOX. 357 Hodges' description of the building after the work had been ■completed : — " He should date the building of the tower between 1360 and 1380, and from some cause or other the first building appears to have been altered and improved as soon as it was finished, or even while it was going on, for the details of the south front, especialh' the moulded base course and the entrance doorwa}% were clearly later than some of the windows. The plan is one not altogether unusual in northern castles of the smaller or intermediate type, and ma\- be called the first elaboration on that of the simple pele tower. It consists of two divisions or wings placed at right angles to one another, the eastern wing having its greater axis north and south, while the western wing lies east and west. The projection of the eastern portion beyond the remainder is greatest towards the north, which causes the plan to approach the L form so common amongst the smaller castles ,,' i in Scotland. The compactness of the arrangements, and the great thickness of the walls, considering the late date of the building, as well as the excellence of the workman- ship and the unusual beauty of the details, are the most striking features of Cartington. The lowest floor was entered from the courtyard on the south side of the tower. It con- tained a series of vaulted chambers with their floors on the level of the ground — those in the eastern portion had been used as store places, those in the \\e^.lcrn living r(;oms. There were two staircases, a newel stair in a jjrojecting turret at the south-western angle, and a straight stair in the wall from the main .south entrance to the level IS ' Doorway inlu Vaull. 35«^ UPrER COi^UKTDALK. of ihc hrsl tl ) :)i, and a newel stair thence to the suramit of the biiildinj^-. This latter newel stair was continued', to the ground as a communication between the vaults in the east wing and the first floor of the same portio'n.. The great hall was on the first floor, and appears "to have comprised the whole area of the western, portion^ its principal windows being to the south. The remaining details are the sill and jamib of one window and an aumbr\' adjoining to it, a feature: common in the halls of northern castles. The kitchen seems to have been situated in the eastern division for conxenience of access tO' the store-places and the well in the basement. With regard to the later his-tory of the' building, he might say that it probabl)- re- mained unaltered till the time of the repairs necessitated by the siege of 1648. A great deal of work was done at that time. Mullioned and transomed windows were inserted in the walls, the ancient south door built up, and a new door made above it, which was approached by stone steps from the courtyard, the remains of which he had not remcj\ed. The fcjrmation of the court}'ard on the north side, and the ejection of attached buildings on the east side and in the southern court)-ard, were additions of this period.. Subsequently, in the latter portion ot the seventeenth century, aiul als:j at two different times m the eighteenth century,.- further changes had been made, and the southern courtyard had bsen filled up to the level of the first floor when the fine' entrance gatewa)- on the west side had been formed. "9 The following antiquities were discovered during the- excavations at Cartington Castle : — A small fifteenth century * Remains of projecting turret iirevious to restoration of 1887. ">/'/■(>. Soc. Aiiliqs., Newcastle, vol. v., pp. zjj-t,. CARTINGTON. 359 wooden tau cross w ith the fiy;ure on it in metal, a skull and cross bones below; iron bits; fi\e iron ke}'s, probabl}- eighteenth century; six so-called "fair)' pipes;" several fragments of Bellarmine jugs ; a pewter \essel with a short perforated ■!^iK horizontally i;)rojecting handle on which P D is incised, on the back of the bowl the pewterer's mark IC with a spread eagle (?) above, this was fuund in the well of the court\-ard ; turners and half turners of Charles II.; two Nuremberg tokens ; penny of George I.; a brass seal ha\iiig the initials T. W. cut thereon; two sling stones ; pieces of Venetian glass ; a small Delft plate ; fragment of a glass flagon ; a piece of glass in original leaden casement ; two sandstone carvings, one a Picta, the other representing the Trinity ; also the bust of a \er)' finely carved figure of fifteenth icntury date, in stoni-, probabl)' a portion of a figure of the Ules.sed \'ii;_^in. This and tin- other '"Small towfi on tlic sdulh-casl angle of courlyaitl. o 60 UIM'KK C()(^UKTI)AI,i;. two relii^icnis carvings have probabl)- been in the chapel in Caitini^ton Castle. The followini^ extracts from the Rothbury Parish Registers, relating to the Cartington owners, will, we are sure, be of interest to those of our readers who love to follow^ the history of old Coquetdale families: — "(Ro)ger, son of S^ Edward \\'iddri(ngton) . . . K{'n)ight and Barron(et) of Cartington, (borne) ...ili Day of May, 1654." "Roger, son of S'- Edward Widdrington of Cartington, Knig. and Barot-> buried ye 25th Day of May, 1654." "Annie, daughter of Sir Edward Wid- drington, Knight and Bar. of Cartington, buried ye ninth day of November, 1657." "John Widdrington, gent., Hepple, 9 br (November), 14, 1662." " S'" Edward Charleton de Cartington, (buried) Jan. 20, 1674." "Dorothy, uxr., William Widdrington, Thropton, (buried) April i, 1676." "Edward fil. Mr. John Talbot, Cartington, (buried) 9 br 18, 1679." "Mrs. Catherine Charleton, Cartington, (buried) July 16, 1685." " Isabel fil., Sr Nich. Shirburn, Cartington, (buried) Oct. 21, 1688." "Henry fil., Edward Widdrington, Esq., Thropton, (buried) Sep. 8, 1689." " Mr. Francis Widdrington, Thropton, (buried) Nov. 27, 1689." " Edward fil., Mr. Edwd. Widdrington, Thropton, rburied) March 15, 1691." "Francis fil., Edwd. Widdrington, E.sq., Thropton, (buried) Oct. 11, 1692." "Francis fil., Mr. Edward Witherington, Thropton, (buried) April 6, 1696." In common with other ancient buildings, Cartington has its traditionary subterranean passage, said to extend from the vaults beneath the tower to " Cartington Cove," a deep recess beneath an overhanging rock on the hill side west of Roth- bury, near to the camp of " Old Rothbury." Nothing of the kind, however, exists, and the tradition appears to have " Mason's marks at Carlington Castle. CARTINGTON. 36 1 -originated of late }'ears. Cartington Mill, now known as the Blue Mill, stands in the bottom of a little valley south of Cartington. The motor power to the mill was supplied by the water of the burn, which runs through a picturesque ravine between " Spout Hill " and Cartington, but it has long since ceased to be a public mill. In earh' times all mills belonged to the lords of manors, by whom the}- \\ere for the most part originally founded ; nor were tenants ^\ho held the lands under the tenure of " Thirlage " permitted to grind their corn, except at such mills. The miller was termed a "thirl miller," who levied the dues of "Sucken" as a re- muneration for his work. The term for this payment in the north of l^Lngland is "mouter" or "multure," from "mulct," a fine, the miller paying himself out of the "batch" he had ground with a measure called "the mouter dish," which was larger or smaller according to the conscience of the miller. The "poker" — the man who carried h(nne the batch to the customer — was also said to have helped himself, a custom alluded to in the following local rh\-me : — " Millery ! Millciy ! nioonty poke! Put in your liimd and steal a loke I " Nearly every lordship in Coquetdale at one time possessed a corn mill. They are now all but extinct, although within the last century a few of them were )'et standing, and con- tinued to grind the "batches" cjf the farm servants, who were formerly paid the greater portion of their wages in grain. "Cartington Miin " is mentioned in ihe Rothbiiry Parish t Register of 1706. There were also mills at Barrow, llarbottlc, Holystone, Caistron, Nethertnn, Trewhitt, Tosson, Little Mill, and other places in the district. The ouiy ihrcc now in exist- ence are IIol)'stonc, Snitter, and the TJninn Mill. On the northern ridge of ("hinidls Moor, .S.l'",. of Cartington, in the Snitter township, arc the rudi- foundations of what is locally called the "Chapel," while a spring near by bears the name of the "Chapel Well." No record is found of a chapel 362 UrrER COQUETDALE. haviiii; existed there, and as traces of a chapel are found within the walls of Cartington, it is improbable that there would also- be one at this lone spot. It is known that " well " worship was extensively practised in England during the Middle Ages,, and even until a later period. This well ma\- have been an object of reverence, and in course of time m.ight gain a reputa- tion t)f sanctity. Near holy wells it was cu.stomary to erect a shrine or oratory, and thus the ruins handed down to the present day would be termed the " Chapel." The following entries occur in the Pipe Rolls relating to Chirnells which may perhaps afford a slight clue to the term " Chapel," as at an early period a portion of the Chirnells was held b}^ a Presbyter or priest. In 1 167, William de Vesci. the sheriff, renders account of 20s. for the carrucate of land which Algar, the priest, holds with the multure of " Chirlund." The same sheriff renders account for 20s. for the land \\hich Robert Frebern holds along with the multure of " Chirlund." Again in 1 178, Roger de Stutville, the sheriff, renders account of 20s. from the carrucate of land which Algar, the priest, held ; and of 20s. for the land of Robert Frebern held with the multure of " Childerland." P'rebern is no doubt of the same family as Ralph Fresborn, a Xorthumbrian, who went out to the Hol\- War, and having joined the monks at Mount Car- mel, was found there b}' William de Vesci, lord of Alnw ick, with whom he was permitted to return to England, when he founded Hulne Abbe}-, near Alnwick, in 1240. In the PLscheats of Edward III., 135 1-2, H en r\', .second Lord Perc}% had part of the Chirnells — Treasur\- of Rothbury Manor. " There is there a certain ' plac ' of land, called Chirland, valued by the year at 6s. 8d., to be paid at the two feasts of St. Cuthbert." Several of the field-names at Cartington are curious and of interest. Whaupmoor, frequented by the curlew or whaup ; Bowt Hill, where ewes are penned ; Bleakhope, a bleak bare hill ; Spout Hill, on which there is a small waterfall or spout ; CARTINGTOX. 363 The Strands, a .shallow stream; High Mercy is difficult to define. On the hills around are Crocke)-'s Heugh, a rocky scar; The Priest and Clerk, two large rocks; Henr\- Faa's Bj're, in which it is said one of the Faa tribe of that name frequently lay a hiding. The Crawfords — a Coquetdale family of long standing — have been the tenants of Cartington for nearh' a centur\-. Mr. George Crawford, the present highh'-respected occupant, has himself farmed its acres for fift}'-five years. The following statistics Mr. Crawford has kindl}- faxoured us with, are both curious and interesting. The total amount paid in rent from the time Mr. Crawford's father entered the three farms of Cartington, Whittle, and Bank Head, in 181 5 — Mr. Craw ford, of to-day, having paid one hundred and ten of the half-3'ear's rents — reaches the enormous sum of ^^34,000, being only iJ^3,000 short of what the late Lord Armstrong paid for the whole estate in 1884. A well appointed farm-house has recentl\- been built on the brow of the hill, from which a \aried and extensive view is obtained of the charming vale of Coquet. The population of Cartington township, consisting of Cartington, Cartington Bank Head, Whittle, and Sandilands during the past ccnturs- has been as follows : — 1801 — 96. 181 1 — 72. 1821 — 79. 1831 — 93. 1841 — 66. 1851 — 102. 1861 — 84. 1871 — 108. 1881 — 74. 1891 — 72. 1901 — 51. Numerous remains of the earlier occupants of the \alc are found on the hills and moors around Cartington. The summit of Cartington Hill is ca])pcd bj- a huge cairn of stones, while two more cairns and a number of mounds, thought to contain liritish burials, are scattered aUjng its up|)er ridges. I'his hil! also retains traces of ancient fortifications seen in the ramparts anrl ditches which win'l round its soullu'iii :slopes. An ancient highwax- from Cartington, joining the Alnwick aiui Rolhbur}' turnjjike, leads eastward oxer ihe moors by 7,64 I'lM'KR COOUKTDALK. Debdon, with its " fairy rin.i^s." East of Cartington hill, and north of the old road, arc the remains of a stone wall, traversing the moor east and west, said to be the relic of a dispute between Adam Atkinson, the owner of Lorbottle, and the freeholders of Rothbury, which took place in the early part of last century, before the division of Rothbury common. The old squire came too far south with his boundary wall and took in part of the common, at which the freeholders rebelled and showed in a ver}' practical manner their disapproval of the squire's claim by proceeding g// masse to the spot and throwing down the wall, leaving the two lines of stones now to be seen. Cartington being within easy distance of Rothbury, and one of the many places of interest in the district, is generally visited by strangers staying at that favourite " Northern Health Resort," and sketches of its grey old towers will be found in many a portfolio, taken as an object of architectural interest, or as a memento of a pleasant day's outing. The nearest and most interesting way to reach Cartington from Rothbury is to take the footpath over the hill immediately north of the village, which, after ascending " Addeyheugh," goes past a large rock called the " Ship Stone," near to the rifle range, where on each side of the pathway the observant tourist will see •ramparts and ditches, tumuli and grave mounds — unwritten memorials of a prehistoric race. It was just such moorland solitudes as this that the British chieftain chose for the tribal burial ground ; where, in a cistvaen or stone-lined grave, rudely formed of the unhewn slabs lying around, the ancient Briton was laid with his earthen cup and his primitive weapons — the bow and flint-barbed arrow, and food vessel, indicative of a belief, however vague, in a future state. Nearly the \\ho\c of the way this path leads through the wildest of moorland scenery. Stretching northward as far as the eye can reach is a wide e.xpanse of rocks and heather, which present a charming sight in the months of August and September, when — cartinc;ton. 565. " The liny heath flowers now begin to blow ; The russet moor assumes a richer glow ; The powdery bells, that gleam in purple bloom, Hing from the scented cups a sweet perfume." This briijht sheet of purple is here and there reheved b}- patches of bracken and the bright greens of the mosses in the swamps and sikes, where are to be found such lo\ely bog flowers as the Grass of Parnassus, Bog Asphodel, Marsh Trefoil Pyrola media, Marsh Violet, Mountain Globe Flower, and those pretty moorland plants Sundew and Butterwort. The path occasionally crosses a lonely ravine, with not a human habitation in sight, the silence only broken b}- the whirr of the moor foxvl as it rises from its lair amid the heather, the cry of the golden plo\er, or the plaintive bleating of the characteristic black-faced sheep, which on these moors are seen in perfecticjn. T^Oe ui'1'i:r co(iui:ti)ALE. CHAPTER XXX. ROTHHURV. Pre-Conquest traces— Rothhury a Royal Manor, 1165 — Extracts from Pipe Rolls, 1168-96, 1201 —Chanted to Robt. Fitz-Roger, 1205 — Henry de Percy, 1332 — Tenants in i569^Losses by the Scots, 1586 — Proprietors, 1663 — Eighteenth Century Freeholders — " A Brave Castle" at Rothbury, 1461 — Rothbury Hall, 1661 — "Old Haa' Hill," 1869 — Prison at Rothbury, 1256 — Sanctuary in Rothbury Church, 1256 — Royal Visits, 1201, 12^5, 1S84 — Rothbury a century ago— Old Houses— Jacobites at Rothbury, 1715— Names of Inns, 1828 — Modern Rothbury— Race Bill, 1762— Old Market Cross, 1722-1827— Village Characters —Bernard Rumney, poet, 1662— Joseph Archer, poet, 1903 — Robert Trumble, piper, 1664— Tom (Jreen, piper, 1898 — "Sexton Jack." 1857 — Mary the Sexton, 1887— Mark Aynsley, 1887— Walter Mavin, angler, 1899— James Cowans, angler, 1903— Rothl)ury Institutions, 1903— Rothbury Bridge — Fire Engine, 17S8 — Retrospect. ^T0 document is extant to tell the pre-conquest history of \ the ancient vill of Rothbury; yet it is evident that it was a settlement of some importance long before the coming of the Normans. The remains of the Anglian churchyard cross, of tenth century workmanship, testify to the existence of a church in these early times ; whilst in the first recorded name, in the Latinized form, " Rodeberia," we may perhaps find a trace of the origin of the term. That it was the " bury," a " burgh," or fortified settlement mav be affirmed. Whether this was a personal name, or a name derived from a British source, or, whether, as has been conjectured, it owes its origin to the " rood " or cross ; these are questions as yet unanswered by the evidence obtainable. Of this early period the names of several townships, comprised in the present parish, also show that numerous Anglian colonies had established themselves on the banks of the Coquet around Rothbury ; probably the names and the boundaries of these townships are in our day much the same as they were in those far off pre-conquest times. ROTllHURV. 367 For upwards of a centur\- after the Conquest, Rothbury with its adjacent lands and forest, remained in the hands of the Crown. In the early Pipe Rolls ^ are found frequent entries of payments made by the "villata and burg"^ of Rothbur}' to the sheriff of the count)', whose dut}- it was to collect the royal taxes. William de Vesci, the sheriff in 1 165, renders an account of five marks from the men of *' Roebiri," which sum he pays into the king's treasurw In 1 188 "Roebiri" is charged ^^"3 2s. lod. tallage,3 and in 1196 the "\illata de Robiri " pay £2 i6s. 4d. and the "burg de Robiri" ^i 2s. od. tallage. Again in 1201, when Robert Fitz-Roger was sheriff of the county and constable of the Castle of Newcastle — the men of Robiri rendered an account of five marks for one palfre\', for having their town of Robiri at the old firm, namely, i^20, and of increment of i^io. In 1205 King John granted his manor of Rothbury and his forest of Rothbur\' to Robert Fitz-Roger, baron of VVarkworth. This grant included all the original rights and privileges of the manor. He had power to apprehend and tr\- malefactors within his lordship, and a gallows4 whereon to hang them ; but the goods of these felons became the property of the crown. He had also an assize of ale and bread, a tumbril or ducking stool, and a pillory. All lost property and stray cattle within the lordship were also claimed by Robert Fitz-Roger.5 Therefore, in the Pipe Rolls of 10 John, 1209, is entered the sum of ;^20, jmid by Robert Fitz-Roger for his manor of " Robire;" and in 17 Hen. HI., 1233, his son, "John Fitz-Robert, has an acquittance ^ Pipe Rolls or Great Rolls, so called, "fioin coiisistinp; of membranes or skins of parchment, for each sherifilklty in the Kingdom, annually all sowed together at the head, and, thus united, out of many, forming one Cneat Roll ; ami the Pipe Roll, from the whole, when rolled uji, being in the form of a Pipe.'''' — \\(A^'!f^ri% NorlliHinberlaiid, jiart iii., vol. iii., preface ]>. vi. - " Villata and Inirg" — villagers and town. * Tallage — a tax on goods brought mto manor. ••The place-name (iallowfield, a spot midway between Rothbury and Tlnop- ton, denotes the site of Fitz-Rf)ger's gallows. SThe pound or jiin-fold still e.xists in the Fair ( Iround, near the County Hotel. 368 UIM'KR COQUETDALE. b\- writ for three fees in Neuburn and Robiry and Werk- \vorthe."6 Rothbury was in the hands of the "F'itz-Rogers" of Warkwortli, who eventually assumed the surname of Claverinf:;^ from their manor of Clavering in Essex, until 1332, when John de Clavering — the last Clavering baron of Warkworth — died without an heir, and the barony was granted by Edward III. to one of the Percies. It would appear that long before his death John de Clavering made a feoffment in favour of the King, for the first record of the grant to the Percies reads thus : — ■' In 2 Edward III., 1329, an indenture was made betwixt the King and his beloved kinsman, Henry de Percy, that in considera- tion of the latter supporting him with men and arms all his life, and by payment to the Crown of an annual fee of fifty marks, he was to hold the castle of Warkworth and all the appendant manors and lands in Northumberland which had belonged to John de Clavering, and after the decease of the said John they should belong to Henry Percy and his heirs." This included the manor of Rothbury, with its members — Thropton, Snitter, and Newtown, and thus Henry de Percy, second Lord Percy of Alnwick, became lord of Rothbury ; since which time — except during occasional short periods of attainder — the manor has continued in the Percy family, who still hold large tracts of land in the parish, the Duke of North- umberland being also lord of the manor. Until 1869 the Dukes of Northumberland held, according to custom, courts leet and courts baron within their manor of Rothbury. In 1846 the ancient county courts or shiremotes were re-instituted, which gradually superseded the courts leet, but it was not until 1869 that the Rothbury court was discon- tinued. For many years Sir Walter Buchanan Riddell, Bart, of Hepple, was steward and judge. In remote valleys, such as Upper Coquetdale, old names ' The Pipe Roll extracts are from Hodgson's Noi-thtimberlaiid, part iii., vol. iil., pp. 7, 44, 60, 78, 103. ROTHIJURV. 369 die hard ; therefore, in the present day, there are still found famil)' names that have been for centuries in the parish of Rothbury. The muster roll of 1538, given at page 171, and the following extracts, contain the names of the ancestors of several families \-et lixing in the localit}-. The names of the Earl of Northumberland's tenants in Rothbur\% in 1569, were "Thomas Swanne, Willims. Mawe\'\'n, Robts. Teylor, Edwardus Dytchen, Rogerus Grene, Cuthbertus Bettx'man, Georgius Carre,"/ most of whom held a few acres of land with a house. Several of the above names also occur in a list of the losses inflicted b\- the Scots on the inhabitants of Rothbury in 1586, which also gives a startling picture of the uncertainty of riches that consisted of sheep and cattle in those days of " border raids and rei\"ers." Rothbury — Ikon Davide, 20 yeowes and insight \\L John Richardson, xij. }-eowes and one neigh, iiijV, viii..v., one naige, a cowe, and a bagge of swordels. Ihon Carre, x. k\"ne, one neige, xijV. George Robinson, v. k\-ne and shepe and two neiges, xjV. Henry Waughe, his horse and geare, x/. Robert Maven, iiij. oxen, iiij. kyne, and x. shepe, xij/. Elizabeth Taylor, ij. kine, ix. shepe, iij/., xvjj-. Riehard Lange, 30 shepe, a kowe, vijV. Elizabeth Jlfaz'ene, two kine, x\s. Jcmiet Stell, two kine, xb. William Burrell, xx''^ sheap and one kowe, \l. Anthonie Tomer, two oxen, iiij. score sheape, and a naige, xxx/.s Towards the middle of the seventeenth century freeholders begin to appear in Rothburx'. The Rentals and Rates of 1663 gives the Earl (jf X/ UPPER COQUETDALE. its walls, its stcMic arched vaults, or strong dungeon chambers. The prison mentioned in the following record of feudal times doubtless refers to the dungeon-like chambers which formed the basement of this ancient building. On the 24th April, 1256, the township of ''Roudirj'" sent twelve jurors to the pleas of juries and assizes, held at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before Richard de Thurkelby. Amongst other cases they presented, that Robert of Creylinge and James " le Scot," two strangers, were taken on suspicion of latceny by the bailiffs of William de Valence, brother to Henry III., who at that period had the care of the barony of Warkworth, and put iii William's prison at " Rozvebyrer James le Scot was delivered to the sheriff for trial, but Robeit of Creylinge effected his escape out of the prison, and took sanctuary in Rothbury Church, where, before the coroner, W^illiam of Baumburgh, he confessed, and abjured the kingdom, and William de Valence had to answer for his escape — while the town of Rothbury was fined for not retaking him. Rothbury has the distinguished honour of having been^ visited by three English monarchs. King John was at Roth- bury in 1 201, when he signed the town's charter. Edward I., in 1275, ratified a truce with the Scots, and despatched it from Rothbury; whilst Edward VII., when Prince of Wales, was the guest of the late Lord Armstrong, at Cragside, in 1884. The village of Rothbury, as seen b)- the two Plantagenet kings in the thirteenth century, would probably consist of a fortress, a church, and a collection of miserable mud hovels,, in which dwelt the villeins of the manor. Less than a century ago the houses in Rothbury were either thatched with heather and straw or covered with old- fashioned grey stone slates. One or two of the older houses have been restored and somewhat modernized, but most (jf them have been swept away. The following dates and initials were cut on some of the door-heads: — " 16. T. E. 80. G. R. F. 1687. G. S. 1725. T. M. F. 1734. D. 1690.'" ROTHBURV 73 J/0 One that stood in Church Street, with the date 1685 on the door-head, was the original workhouse ; and an old house which stood across the road, a little above the Jubilee Hall, as seen in our engraving, was removed in 1891, the onl}' remaining thatch representing the Rothbury of a hundred and thirt)* years ago, when it was described as ■" a poor town of two streets, which are not paved, and the houses are mostly thatched ; they co\-er them with sods, for warmth, and thatch with heather, which will last thirty years," The "Three Half Moons" — now a shapeless ruin, whose crumbling walls ha\e stood at least for three centuries — was, some thirty years ago, the ])rincipal inn in the village, where public meetings, courts of justice, courts leet, and excise sittings were held, and uiidc-r whose ancient and liospitablc roof fon-gathercd all classes, from the peasant to the peer, and where man}' a con\i\ial party made them- selves merry until "some wee short hour a\-oiU the twal," in those easy going days of the past. The old imi [possesses 374 UPPER C0<)UL:TI)ALE. associations of some historic interest. It was under its roof that the amiable but ill-fated James, Earl of Derwentwater, slept on the ni^ht of October 6th, 17 15, having that day marched from Greenrig, North T>-ne, to Plainfield Moor, in Coquetdale, at the head of a small band of Northumbrian Jacobites, where the\' were met by their Coquetdale friends. The little army stayed all night at Rothbury, and proceeded -una ■ •,^-.,. • .<-'\j^-C 't: "%%."/■■. ^\-i0H. 1903' the next da\- to W'arkworth. The room in which the Earl slept was afterwards known as the " Earl's Chamber." Our engraving shows the old doorwax- of the " Three Half Moons " in 1903. Rothbury as it would appear in the early days of the last centur\- — and long before railways and telegraph wires were dreamt of — when there was no post office, letters only arriving twice a week, and lying at the shop of Philip Nairn 1 ■} I I ■ ■> .^/'^* -;r' i y;^i-^y^ i ^ 1 ^fi^ • ? '-" ■ -^::::Z/^^'-» ^w ^#' v i.. 'f, 1 i v^& 5 , ..<<-' ,.54' :"S/;: 1^^ KOTHBURV 3/:> until called for — when the names of the public-houses were " The Three Half Moons " (of which Rachel Maxwell was the well-known hostess, "The Malt Shovel," "The Fox and Hounds," "The Golden Fleece" (the hostess being Jenny Snawdon), " The Black Bull," " The Rifleman " (kept by Ben Perry), and " The Fighting Cocks " — has been well described by Thomas Doubleday: — "Rothbur\' is cheerful at sunn}' mid- day, but dimly sober towards evening, for then the hills close in again, and in their gorge the town of Rothbur\- stands. Its site has evidenth- been selected for shelter, being shut in by hills, save towards the west. To the north, behind it, the hills are steep and broken into crags, amidst which the goat — numerous here — alone finds footing. To the south are the hills forming a portion of the great Simonside ridge. And to the east the crags close in and cross each other, as if determined to bar the Coquet from further passage. The town has all the marks of hoar anliquit}' on its asjject. The stone bridge of four arches, which here spans the Coquet, bears the marks of age. The low tower of the church, which stands near the ri\er, is weather worn, and the whole structure the worse for time. The houses have all the impress of time, and the ver\' orchards, with their moss-grown trees, seemed to ha\e smiled for }-ears gone b\-, and for generations now buried. The old market-cross is half in ruins ; the very stocks in the church\'ard, like a tooth- less mastiff, seem to have lost their terrors amidst the ravages of age. Rothbury is, in short, the beau ideal oi a dim, old border town — too insignificant to be defended, and too humble to tempt the hand of the plunderer — a collection of grey old houses that might have been standing when Flodden Field was fought, or when the moon was shining above the conflict at Otterburn."9 Since Thos. Doubleday wrote the above, Rothbur\- has much improved ; its houses are substantial and well built, and 'CtKjueldalc Fi.shing Songs, 1852, preface, p. 22. 376 UPPER COQUKTDALE. its banks, post-office, court house, shops, and other buildings will compare favourably with those of any other country town The number of houses and hotels fitted up for the reception of visitors has also greatl}' increased, and year by year its reputation as a health resort is becoming better known. Its charming and romantic situation, sheltered from the cold east winds by rugged and picturesque hills, with its clear, bracing air, its wild mountain scenery, with fishing in the most beautiful of Northumbria's streams — the Coquet — and its close proximity to the lovely grounds of Cragside, at once offers attractions which no other locality in the north of England can surpass. There is ample accommodation in the town for all classes. Amongst the principal hotels are : — "The County Hotel," situate at the west end, which contains upwards of seventy rooms ; "The Station Hotel," near the railway station ; "The Railway Hotel," in Bridge Street ; "The Queen's Head," at the east end ; and " The Turk's Head," in the centre of the town. There are also "The Blue Bell Inn," "Newcastle House," and "The Sun Inn;" a boarding house; and a temperance hotel, besides a number of private houses, which are all specially adapted to the use of visitors during the summer months. In the centre of the village green stood the old Market Cross, which was erected in 1722, and demolished in 1827. The building was octagonal and roofed, and probably had replaced the more ancient " mercat crosse." A few yards to the west of the cross lay the large block of stone and the stout iron ring, relics of bull-baiting times. Cockfighting was also carried on to a great excess in Rothbury, where there were no less than five cockpits. The following copy of an old Rothbury Race Bill shows the prominent part cockfighting took in a programme of sports during the eighteenth century. Card playing was also a favourite pastime in the long winter evenings, when it was customary to have geese, ducks, pigs, joints of meat, articles R(JTHBURV. 377 of furniture, either fought for in the cockpit, or carded for at night after the "cocking" was over : — ROTHBURV RACES. To be run for on Rothbury Haiigh, on Wednefday the 7.%th Day of April, 1762. A Purse of GOLD, by Horfes «S:c rifing four years old ; Heats two Miles each, to carry nine Stone. On Thursday the 29th Day of April, a Pltrse of GOLD by Horfes, &c that never ftarted for above 20/, or ever won above 10/. Heats four miles each. Give and Take : 14 Hands to carry nine stone, and fo in Proportion, allowing to every Horfe, &c that is rifing fix Years old four Pounds, and to every Horfe, «S:c that is rifing five years old 12 Pounds. On Friday the 30th of April, a PuRSE of GOLD, for Hunters and Hacks, that never ftarted for 20/ or ever won 5/ Heats four Miles each, to carry nine Stone. Bridles and Saddles are included in all Weights, without allowance for Wafte. The Entrance-money will be eafy. Three to enter and ftarl each Day, or no Race. All Horfes &c limited to Age, to be fufficiently certified for ; and to be .shewn and entered at the Town-cross, in Rothbury, on Friday the 23d, between Two and Six in the Evening. All Owners of Horfes to be fubject to Articles. N.B. No Horfes &c, are allowed to come upon the Race-ground, but the Horfes &c that run for the above Prizes, under the penalty of 40,f. *,* There will be a Main of Cocks each Day. During the middle age.s, when weekly markets and statute fairs were of greater importance than they arc in these days, the market cross was the centre of the whole commerce of the district ; from its steps nj)-al proclamations were read, and other public announcements gi\en. In 1291, Robert Fitz- l-ioger obtained from ICdward I. a charter for a \\eckl\' market to be held on Thursdays, and a faii- \carl\-, on the e\e, day, and morrow of .St. Matthew the Apostle, within his manor of Rothbury, whether there was then a market cross we have no record, aufl it is n(A until tlic lieginning of the eighteenth century that ue have any account of Rothlnny Market Cross. -;S Uri'KR COQUETDALE. The old market cross of which we are accustomed to speak was erected in 1722, to shelter the countr\- folks when attend- in-- the weeklx- market with their produce — butter, eggs,, ptuiltr)-, &c. It was a square building with a hipped roof, and had four open sides, round-arched, similar to Stamfordham market cross. About the beginning of the last century the cross was in so ruinous a condition that it was considered dangerous. Therefore, in 1827, instead of having it restored,, the freeholders had the building demolished, and every stone of it removed. Luckily a person who had a little of the antiquary in his composition, got a mason, for half a gallon of ale, to carr\' a stone containing an inscription, into his erarden. This stone is now built into the gable of the house of Mr. John H. Clark, and contains the names of Archibald Douglas, Robert Snawdon, and Robert Readhead, all of whom were men of some note in the parish at that period (1722). There was a great to do about it amongst the villasiers, and the vandals who had been instrumental in its destruction were threatened w ith legal proceedings. An old woman composed a long doggerel rhyme in memory of the cross, from which we quote three stanzas ; there is neither poetry nor beauty in the lines, but the\- are valuable in pre- serving a record of the cross and of its destruction, as well as. the names of several old Rothbur\' families: — " Ve ancient inhabitants mourn for the los.s Of that venerable pile, I mean Rothbury Cross, Where oft in my childhood I happy did ]ilay With youthful companions, long since away. There were the Grahams, and the Milhurns, the Storers and .Storeys, The Clennels, the Snawdons, the Todds and the Dores, The Matthews, and Mavins — that's just half-a-score ; Believe me, dear neighbours, there are very few more. If the age of the Cross you are wishful to know, To the 'Black Bull' yard I a.sk you to go. Where with letters inserted, conspicuous to view, Is seventeen hundred and seventy-two." A few of the older inhabitants of Rothbury could remember the ruins of the cross ; and a very old man once told the writer ROTHBURV. 379 that he could recollect, when a bo)-, of watching the country- men ofoin"- into the .shelter of the cross to trv on the leather breeches they were about to bu\- at the October fair. He also informed us of the price of salt and tobacco at that time. When the pig was killed, his mother sent him to Philip Nairn, a shopkeeper in Rothbury, for "a styen o' saat, an' a >-erd o' baccy." The salt cost five shillings, the tobacco one penn}'. Xear the cross stood the pillor}-, and not far distant were the village stocks; a man named "Archie Deedles " was the last person confined in the stocks, about the \-ear 1820, for being drunk and disorderly. Clo.se by was the bull ring, described to us b\- an old Rothburian. who knew the spot well, as being "a fearful big st\-en flag wi' a greet iron ring in't a.s thick as yor airm." For man\' \-ears past this open space in the centre of the village, commonly known as " the cross," has been the rendezvous of all the tinkers, besom makers, muggers, and gipsies that travel the countr)-, who, without let or hindrance encamped upon it. Recently, howe\er, b\' the consent of the lord of the manor and the Urban Council of Rothbury, this piece of ground has been enclosed, and a ver\- beautiful Anglian cross erected to the memory of the late Lord and Lad\- Armstrong, which, besides being an adornment to the \illage, adds greatly to the interest of this historic spot. The cross is formed of fine-grained freestone from the quarries on Cragside hill, and stands on a base of five steps, its total height being 22 feet 7 inches. The fuur sides of the shaft and the limbs of the cross are divided into exquisitcl)'-car\ed panels. The designs on the west, north, and east sides of the shaft represent nature in its various phases, in w hich the artist has introduced in a charming manner a number of birds and animals amid a flowing tracery of the oak and the \ine, interwoven with other foliage of a conventional character; while the south side contains the endless knot-w(*rk pattern similar to that on the fragment of the original Rothbur)- Crcjss, which now forms the -^So UPPER COQUETDALE. Stem of the font in the Parish Church. The inscription on the base reads : — ••^^■z ^yrrr^^ij!;'^' "THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED IN THE YEAR 1902, ON THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT MARKET CROSS, BY THE INHABITANTS OF ROTHBURY AND OTHER FRIENDS, IN ADMIRATION AND GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE LONG AND USEFUL LIVES OF WILLIAM GEORGE BARON ARMSTRONG OF CRAGSIDE, C.B. (1810-1900), AND OF MARGARET HIS WIFE (1807-1893)." The cross was unveiled on Saturday, August 2nd, 1902, by- Sir Lowthian Bell, Bart., the late Lord Armstrong's oldest frienfl, on which occasion there was a large concourse of ROTHBURV. 381 people to witness this most interesting ceremony. Near the south-east angle, outside the enclosure, there was erected at the same time a substantial lamp of three lights, a most useful adjunct to the village, the Coronation gift of Mr. Robert Donkin, of Haw Hill House, on which there are two shields.. One contains this inscription — " To commemorate the Corona- tion of their Gracious Majesties King Edward VH. and Queen Alexandra. August 9th, 1902." The other — "Erected b\' Robert Donkin and Presented to the Town of Rothbury." Besides the various eminent men of the past, of \\hom: Rothbury and Coquetdale can boast, there ha\e also been several village characters, who, in bygone times, played their parts in the social life of Rothbury. About the middle of the seventeenth century there flourished in Rothbury Bernard Rumney, the village poet and musician, the author of " Ecky's- Mare," a curious and amusing ballad, a reprint of ^\•hich is found in " Bell's Northern Bards," Bernard Rumney was one of the Churchwardens of the Parish in 1662, and his death is recorded in the Parish Register of June 11, 1690. His initials " B. R. 1660" are cut on a large stone block in the " Newcastle House" yard. This stone was originally one of the jambs in the old ingle nook of the "Black Bull Inn." Rothbur}' is .still happy in the possession of a \-illage poet, in the person of Mr. Joseph Archer, who has frcjm time to time written a number of poems of such excellence, that it is a matter for regret that his fugitive productions have not \et appeared in a complete \olume. Although Mr. Archer is an octogenarian, he still retains the poetic spark, and his effusions frequently appear in the pages of the Parish Magazine. Contemporary with Jiernard Rumnc\- there was also Robert Trumble, the village pi[)er, who, in Jul)-, 1664, married l^li/abeth Urpeth. There ma}- have been a strong friendship, or, perhaps, relationship, between the two seventeenth century village musicians, for wc learn from the Parish Registers that the piper's first-born son was named Bernard. " Down to a domparativel}' recent period ^82 UPPER COQUETDALE. a piper was attached to every Border town of note. The office was in general considered hereditary. About the commence- ment of spring and close of harvest it was the custom of these miurator\' musicians, who were nearlv the sole depositories of all the oral, musical, and poetical traditions of the north, to make a progress through a certain district, beyond which they must not pass, in respect of the rights and privileges of their brethren. Their simple but stirring tales, or historic or love ballads, sung to the accompaniment of the Northumbrian pipes, inx'ariably was considered as a sufficient recompense both for bed and board." i° Durintj the eighteenth centur\- the Duke of Northumber- land's piper was James Allan, a native of Rothbury parish, and towards the end of the nineteenth centur}-, Tom Green was the Duke's piper for upwards of forty years, having succeeded his father, William Green, of Morpeth, in 1849. Tom was proud of having played the pipes before three Dukes of North- umberland, besides attending the fairs and courts at Corbridge, Ovingham, Newburn, Stagshawbank, Warkworth, Harbottle, North Shields, Tynemouth, Bellingham, Elsdon, Wark-on- Tyne, Alnwick, and Rothbury, where the Duke of Northumber- land is lord of the manor. Tom never once failed an appoint- ment, and always did the journey there and back on -foot, often a distance of fifty and sixty miles. In the great snowstorm of March, 1888, although in his sixt\'-third year, Tom set forth from Rothbury, amid the drifting snow, over the mcTors on his way to Alnwick Castle, where he was due to play at the Duke's audit the following day. On this memorable occasion, " the lad " nearly perished in the snow on the wilds of Rimside Moor. When through failing health he was obliged to resign the post he had held so long, the Duke kindly granted him a liberal pension, as well as a house and garden at Rothbury Gate, where he spent the remainder of his days, with the rod and the gun as his companions, for '° Denham Tracts, p. 279. ROTHBURV. 383 Tom was an expert with the rod, and could fill his creel or land a good bull trout with skill and dexterit}^ He died in 1898, seventy-three years of age. Some fifty years ago, John Watson, the sexton of Rothbury Church, was a well-known character, who went by the name of *' Saxon Jack." He was also the village constable, and many were the thrilling stories of his exploits in the apprehension of prisoners, and the locking of them up in the "old kitty," which stood at the south end of Rothbur}- bridge. The writer has in his possession the stout lock and key of this " lock up," which were found amongst the ruins a few years ago. On the death of John Watson, in 1857, his widow. Mar}- Watson, also known as " Mary the Sexton," with the assistance of her son, the second John Watson, performed the duties of the office for a number of years. Mary Watson was born in 1800, and died in 1887, having lived to see five rectors of Rothbur\-, viz., Dr. Watson, Levison Venables Vernon, C. G. Vernon Harcourt, Dr. Ainger, and Canon A. O. Medd. She was a keen observer, had a most retentive memory, knew the pedigree of every family in the parish, and was well versed in the folk-lore of Coquetdale. She could remember the laying of the founda- tion stone of the bridge over the Rithe, at Thropton, in 18 10. Clem Haa,' the kilnman, was her uncle, whose name was often associated with Cuddy Wintrip, the joiner, of Tosson, another local celebrity, in those days of practical joking in the early part of the ninteenth century, when the famous Donkins ruled in Great Tosson. Old Mark .\ynslcy, who died in 1887, in his eightieth }-car, was a notj'.ble village character. Mark was a native of Rothbur)' and lived all his life in the \illage. By trade a shoemaker he was exceedingly fond of the rod and line, in the use of which he was most proficient, aiul the old man was wont to boast of having taught the late \j)V(\ Armstrong how to throw the line, " when they were lads together." Lord Armstrong in his early days spent the greater part of 384 UPPER COQUETDALE. his holida}-s in fishing in the Coquet at Rothbury. In later years Lord Armstn-nLi" was exceedingly kind to Mark, and it was amusing to hear the old man talking to his lordship of their fishing exploits in days gone by. Mark was much given to ornithological jnu'suits, and during the winter months devoted his leisure hours to the capture of goldfinches,, or as he would say "a've been catchin' gooldspinks, hinney.'" George Humble, the person with whom Mark served his time, had a tame otter, "Ben." The otter became much attached to Mark the apprentice, would follow him like a dog. and was- most obedient to his call. " Ben " was the terror of all the dogs in the village, and if a strange dog entered the shop, the otter, who generally lay in a corner amongst the leather,, seized him in a moment and it was with difficulty he could be drawn off. The freaks of this curious animal were often the theme of conversation with Mark and visitors to Rothbury, as he sat on his shop stool, or when fishing by the banks of the Coquet. One of the most amusing episodes was when fishing with a heavy salmon rod and a long line in the Coquet,, opposite to the Crag End, Mark hooked a sheep that was grazing on the bank behind him, which gave the old angler a run of nearly a mile over the moor, away from the river, ere he could free his tackle from amongst the wool of this rather unweildy catch, His language during the race consisted of a string of adjectives not found in modern dictionaries. Probably one of the best known characters in Rothbury during the nineteenth century was Walter Mavin, the cele- brated Coquet angler. Walter died in Sept., 1899, at the patriarchial age of eighty-five, and was the last connecting link between the older and younger generations of Rothbury. Old Walter was a delightful companion, of a genial disposition, and a universal favourite, not only amongst the villagers but with the numerous visitors annually resorting to Rothbury during the summer months, who were accustomed to purchase fishing tackle and obtain advice on piscatorial matters from ROTHBURY. 385 the old man, whose abilit}' as an angler was well known in the north of England. Like his contemporary, Mark A}-nsle\-, he had been the companion of the late Lord Armstrong on man\' a fishing excursion ; and the writer has frequently heard the village angler and the peer discussing, in a friendly chat, those happy days on the Coquet. Walter was full of Coquetdale folk-lore, and to him the writer is indebted for man}- an old Rothbury stor}\ In his early days, like other youths, Walter was fond of a cock-fight and a little bit of salmon poaching, otherwise his was a character without guile — one of nature's gentlemen ; and to us the memory of Walter Mavin is still very dear. An eminent writer on Angling thus speaks of W'alter : — " On my return I found Mr. Mavin, a fisherman — and a real one too — who had been sent to me by an acquaintance to show me the water. He advised me to go down below the town in the evening and try the fly, as the river would then be clear enough for it. " The next day, with ]\Ir. Mavin to cicisbeo me, I went down the water about three miles ; we got away too late, however, and, although I began well, the fish soon went off. 1 thought myself a pretty good performer for trout with the single-handed rod, but I soon found out that m\' attendant was a better one. He was wading, and I was fishing from the bank, and, of course, he had all the advantage of knowing the stream, and fishing with the most killing flies, &c. Jiut he was picking up fish after they had done rising at me ; and on looking at his flies for the cause, I found he was fishing with fine single hair, and with a light, long double-handed rod, which he worked to perfection. I was no longer surprised. "" A monument is shortly to be erected to the memory of Walter Mavin, in RE. a dripstone or an\' other ornament, were in use. The two western lancets in the chancel were inserted at the restoration of 1850, replacint^ a large three-light decorated window of the fourteenth centur>-. As seen in the illustration, the range of lancets in the south wall of the chancel is high enough to admit of the square-headed trefoil priest's door without breaking their level. Immediately over this fine doorway is a portion of the stringcoursing which had originally run round the whole of the exterior of the chancel ; while against its south wall are three plain buttresses, in stages, with simple slopes as set-offs ; these are arranged at equal distances, and divide the lancets into pairs, thus breaking the monotonous stretch of plain masonry. Another single buttress of the same character supports the wall of the chancel at the north- east angle. The square embattled tower at the west end, with its ROTHBURV CHURCH. 393 massive buttresses, is 70 feet in heii^ht. A projecting turret in its south-west angle contains a circular stair leading to the belfrv. A verv crood decorated door\va\- srives access to the church through its west front. A large porch protects the southern doorway leading into the nave. The nave is 61 feet in length, 42 feet in width including the aisles, and has a north and south arcade of four arches springing from rather low octagonal piers, with plain cham- fered capitals. Above these arches are three double-light clerestory windows ; both transepts also have an arcade of two arches. The semi-octagonal pier of the eastern ba}- on the south side built into the wall, and the semi-circular bracket or respond of the eastern bay on the north side, are portions of the original Early English edifice, as seen in the accompan}'ing sketch. The latter has the characteristic deep round mouldings and small nail- head ornamentation around the capital. The church is fitted throughout with open oak benches, and seats six hundred persons. The richness of the interior of the church has been greatly enhanced b}' the erection, in 1901, of a carved oak pulpit, choir stalls and chancel screen. The pulpit is an exquisite piece of work- manship, and contains the figures of S. Columba, .S. Paulinus, S. Hilda, S. Aidan, and Bcrnarrl Gili^in. The figures occupy niches beneath finely-carved canopies. An inscription around the base of the pulpit reads : — '• To the Glor}' of God and I in affectionate memor\' of | Margaret, wife of I^aron | Armstrong, of Cragside, I who died on the 2ncl of September, J 1^ " Dedicated to the Glory of God | and in loving memory of | Edward Mallet Young, Rector of Rothbury, 1 894- 1 900, I formerly Head Master ] of Sherburne School, | Hon. Canon of Salisbury. 1 890, | Hon. Canon of Newcastle, 1896, I by his widow, brothers, & sister. | All Saints' Day, ist Nov., 1 90 1." The oak screen that divides the chancel from the priests' vestry has also been embellished with graceful tracery work, and in its twelve panels the family coats of arms of twelve of the rectors of Rothbur>-, emblazoned on small shields, have been introduced. ^ The priest's and choir vestries, and organ chamber are on ' The coats of arms on the west front of the chancel screen are those of Clavering, Percy, Cartington, Hepple, Armstrong, Ogle, Wharton, Smart, Dawson; those on the east side are Mowbray, Henry I., Tynemouth I'riory, See of Carlisle, See of Newcastle, See of Dmham, Duchy of Lancaster, Riddell, Watson- Armstrong. ^ These are Burdon, Cooke, Percy, Neville, Jones (See of Kildare), Thomlinson, Sharp, Harcourt, Ainger, Medd, Young, Blackett Ord. An elaborately-carved oak chair, with the arms of the See of Newcastle shown on a small shield, stands against the south wall of the chancel. The inscription on a brass plate tells us that it was " Presented to ] Rothbury Church j by | Elizabeth Wilkinson | 1903." ROTHP.URV CHURCH. 395 the north side of the chancel, from which the}' are separated by two semi-circular arches springing from octagonal piers. The building containing these chambers stands on the site of the old Cartington chantry, and was built in 1886 b\' public subscription, through the instrumentality of the Rev. Brice Smith, then curate of Rothbury. The chantry which belonged to the Cartington estate, had been founded by one of the Cartington famil)-, and endowed for the maintenance of a priest to celebrate dail\- at its altar masses for the benefit of the souls of the founder and his family. After the Reformation, when prayers for the dead and private masses were abolished, the chantr}' appears to have fallen into deca)', for in the list of chantries, with their revenues and ornaments, compiled in I 547, we read : — "ROTHEBURYE. — Landes and (tenements) belonging to the use of one perpetuyte within the Parishe Churche of Rothebur}'. There ys no Incumbent at these presents. And the churche-wardens ther for the tyme beinge heretofore hathe taken the reven(n\- therof towards the reparacion of the churche. Xo parte thereof solde s)'the, &c. And ther be of howseling people (communicants) within the same parishe ixc (900). Yerely valewe iijs. xd. Plate, none, Goodes, none." 3 A century later the chantry was in ruins, as may be gathered fr(jm the following note made at a vestry meeting, held April 13th, Anno. Uom., 1658, being as commonly called Easter Tuesday : — " Ve minister and fower and twenty having viewed the Cartington Porch, it was resolved that. Whereas The \ast Ruins of The Porch Belonging to .Sir Ivlward Widdrington of Cartington, Lying open to ye Channscll the length of Two Spacious Arches, now so endangering the health of nian\- b)- Reason of the Cold wind and ha/zardcd the lilowing up of \'e Chann- sell Leades and Cdasse out of \c W'indovves, Besides many disorders Thereby comitted in the church In- \\- lioyes going 3 .Surt. Soc. pul)!., N'l). 22, p. 8S. 396 Ul'I'ER COQUETDALE. in Tlicrcat breaking downe stalls and Windows and throwing open ye Doores." 4 Shoi-tl\- after this meeting the two arches were built up, much to the disfigurement of the church, and remained in that condition until 1886, when they were cleared out and the chantry rebuilt, which was one of the greatest improvements to the appearance of the interior of the church effected during the last century. 5 The sketch shows the mason's marks found on the voussoirs of these two arches. In the south wall, within the sanctuary rails, is seen the original Early English piscina and fenestella — the latter now used as a credence table. There is also a finely-executed reredos of Corsham Down stone, alabaster, and marble, consisting of five trefoil-headed arches, which was erected in memory of Herbert Ainger, third son of the Rev. Canon G. H. Ainger, D.D., rector of the parish. The whole of the chancel floor is inlaid in mosaic pattern, with encaustic tiles. The handsome brass eagle lectern was given in memory of Dr. Ainger, rector 187 1-1886. The reading desks and •• The following probably refers to both the north transept (known as the Caninglon porch) and the adjoining chantry : — " 1614, Feb. 16. Roger Widdring- ton Esq. to repair the Porch in Rothbury Church which is in great decay as belonging to him as Lord of the Manor and the Castle of Cartington." While the following of the same date refers to the south transept or Trewhitt Porch : — " Ephraim Widdrington (Sir Knight) and Thomas Ord Esq. to repair portion of the Church belonging to the Lord or owner of Trewicke." — (Consistory Court of Durham.) 5 A Brass on the dividing wall reads : — ^ "Ad Gloriam Dei. This Chantry was restored by public subscription in 1S86. Canon G. IL Ainger D.D. Rector. Who did not live to see it completed. It was re-opened for Divine Service Ascension Day, 1887. Church \W. G. Armstrong. '\ F. Barrow. A. (). Medd, M.A. Wardens. /D. D. Dixon. i J- Wake. Rector." ROTHP.URV CHURCH. 397 litan}' desk w ere also the gifts of members of the Ainger familw In the priest's vestry an alabas- ter tombstone records the death of Isabel, daughter of Sir Nicholas Sherburne, of Cartington, who died of small-pox in 1688.6 On each side of this stone stand the beadle's staves, reminders of old parish customs of past centuries. The chief object of anti- quarian interest u'ithin the Church is undoubtedly the pedestal of the font, the lovver part bemg a pre- ^p:.::^ conquest cross, sculptured '"'''^t'.-/ ' */ J^^i^^r^'^-^^ with endless knot-work, entangling snakes and other figures. The style of the sculpturing is of a somewhat similar character to that found on Bewcastle Cross and Bridckirk Voni. The figures carved thereon are thought to be s}'mbolical. The sculpture may represent three principal circumstances in the history of the world. On one side is portrayed an animal walking quietly amongst trees and foliage, and feeding upon the fruits of the earth, figurative of the peaceful and happy sta^e of things before the fall of man. On the oilier side there is carved a number of nondescript animals, preying and feeding on each other, showing the state of wickedness after that *■ Inscription : — "In .Memory of | His dear DaiiglUcr | Isaliella Shcrljurnc | horn l6lh November l68i | died of the Small I'ox l8lh (^ct. l688 | and is here huricd I Sr Nicholas Sherburne | of Stoneyhurst in the County j i'alalinc of Lancaster, Baronet | caused this to be erected. | A.i>. MUCXCVii." 598 UPPER COQUETDALE. occurrence. On another side is seen the Saviour of the World ascending up into heaven, and underneath numerous heads of men looking upwards in a suppliant manner.7 The fourth side contains a fine example of the intricate knot-work pattern characteristic of that early period. The late Dr. Charleton, when describing the limbs of this cross, which were found at the restoration of the church in 1850, and deposited in the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries at Newcastle-upon- Tvne, states them to be fragments of the limbs and shaft of a Saxon Churchyard Cross. In these fragments of the limbs are found holes evidently drilled for the reception of candles, it being customar\' during Saxon times to use lights at the consecration of a churchyard. ^ Besides the shaft of the font, the fragments of two fifteenth century floreated sepulchral slabs 2 #^i m fSr^'"^'' ''^ l'?l.ll ■M'm '^■'Ai ''\ ;-|;'i:«'!!;| '■*' '" W:, "im .;i. -"^ '(5!!fe;i5i.SsEJ£i&:^ are built into the west wall of the porch ; also portion of a grave cover having the ball ornamentation of »Norman date. (See figures /, 2, j.^ In the west vestry is a door-head, evidently that of a dwelling house, bearing the inscription, ^'THOMAS EANSLEY 161 1," with a mason's mallet, chisel. ^ Hist.. B.N.C., vol. iv., p. 7. ^ Arch. ALliana, vol. iv. (o.s.) ROTHBURY CHURCH. 399 compass, and square; also, a stone slab, I5in. by 22in., on which is cut a circular cross, lo^in. diameter (as shown in the engraving). This was found in the school garden some years ago, a few yards east of the present churchj'ard, and had probabh' been a boundar\' cross. i^sfmisff' A vaiKXWM .Along with several other car\cd stones is a portifjn of a grave cover, which, judging from the "cart wheel " cut in the corner, maybe assigned to one of the " dc Cartingtons." A bell bearing the inscription: — "John 1 homh'nsou, Rector of Rothbury, 1682," and the mark of the founder-^three bells within a circle of leaves, for John Bartlett, of the Whitechapcl 400 UPPER COQUETDALE. Foundry, stands on the window sill. This bell was removed from the bell-loft when the rini^ of eight bells was hung in 1893. The conventional vestry safe of 181 3, containing the Registers, is built into the north wall of this vestry. In the spandrill of the arches on the north side of the chancel is a monument to the memory of Dr. John Thomlin- son, which bears the following inscription : — " Near this ^[onument lyeth Also on her right side is iii- tlie body of the truly \'ertu- -terred the Body of the said -ous Matron Mary, Wife of Reverend Mr. John Thomlinson, John Thomlinson, Rector of A Worthy Benefactor to this Rothbury, who departed this Parish, of woh he was Rector above life Oct. 30th, 1 7 10. Aged 70 years. 41 Vears, who departed this life May 23d, 1720. Aged 69 years." Several windows in the nave, and the whole of the chancel windows, are filled with stained glass. Those in the chancel, which are extremely chaste and beautiful, are from the studios of Heaton, Butler, and Bayne. The east window, consisting of three lights, depicts the crucifixion. The inscription reads : ►^ This window was erected | by the Parishioners to the Glory | of God & in affectionate | Remembrance of the Revd. | Canon Ainger, D.D., Rector of | Rothbury, 1871-1886. >i< The six lancets in the south wall of the chancel are as follows: — (i) Venerable Bede — " To the memory of the late | Canon E. M. Young, Rector | of Rothbury, 1894 to 1900;" (2) S. Aidan ; (3) S. Oswald ; (4) S. Cuthbert. ^ " To the Glory of God these three windows | of Northumbrian Saints were placed here | by parishioners and other friends in | memory of Arthur Octavius Medd | late Rector of this parish, who at Amble | Bamburgh,and Rothbury laboured for Northumberland | until his death. | xxvii. August, MDCCCXCIV. R.I. P." (5) The Good Shepherd. ^ " To the Glory of God | and to the beloved memory of | Sir Walter Buchanan Riddell, Bart. | Born 18 10. Died 1892. I This Window is Dedicated [ By his affectionate Wife." »J< (6) Raising of Jairus' Daughter — "Ad Gloriam Dei et in Memoriam, M. A. et H. I. A., 1876 " (daughters of Canon Ainger). A narrow lancet in the south transept, representing ROTHBURY CHURCH. 4OI the Ascension, is " In Memory of | Herbert Ainger. | Born May 14, 1856. I Died Dec. 9, 1883." The two next windows were erected in 1850. ►^ " Sacred to the Memory of John Smart, of Trewhitt, on | the Commission of the Peace & Deputy Lieutenant | for the Count}-, who died the 28th of Oct., 1828, aged 69," and ^ " Sacred to the Memory of Dorothy, widow of John Smart, of | Trewhitt, & youngest Daughter of Robert L\-nn, of Mainsforth, | in the County of Durham, who died the 2 1st Jany., 1832, aged 70." A single lancet in the south aisle — Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene. ^ " In Memoriam, Lillian Christine Alalcolm | of Westoe, So. Shields. Born Septr. 25th, 1872 I Died at Rothbury, Septr. 25th, 1890." Several other windows also contain stained glass. On one an inscription reads: — "Dedicated as a thankoffering to the Glory of God. Amen. By James William Dixon, A. D. 1873." The two-light geometric window, inserted in the west wall of the tower in 1900, is filled with very fine stained glass, by Cla\-ton and Bell, in which the two prominent figures are S. Michael and S. George. A Brass beneath the window contains the Adye coat of arms and this inscription : — ^ " To the Glory of God and in loving memory of | General Sir John Ad)e, (i.C.B., Colonel-Commandant Royal Artiller}-, | who was born at Sevenoak.s, in the County of Kent, Nov. i.st, 1819, and who died at | Cragside on Sunday, August 26th, 19CX), aged 80 years. This west window was erected | by his daughter, W'inifrcda Watson- Armstrong, and his son-in-law, W. A. Watson-Armstrong, | of Cragside, Rothbury, in the County of Northumberland, April, 1901." On the south wall of the tower hangs the hatchment of the late Lord Armstrong, bearing his coat of arms, 9 with the family motto — Forlis in Aniiis, and a pendant depicting tlie insignia of the order C.ll (Companion.ship of the Jiath). A brass on tlu; south ])icr of the to'.ver arch records the gift (jf eight bells, thus : ' The iirsi iiaii riiiKiii mhumi im have been hung in Rothbury Church. '2« 402 UPPER COQUETIXVLE. >b ^^ "To the Praise and Glory of God | In affectionate ^ remembrance | of the late William Dawson | this peal of Eight Bells was presented to | All Saints' Church Roth- bury I by his loving Sister Mary Dawson | Easter 1893." ^ The dimensions and weights of the bells are as follows : — CWTS. (,>RS. LBS Treble 2 feet 3^ nches 4 3 I 2nd 2 „ 4,5^ 5 I 26 3rd 2 ,, 63^ 6 15 4th 2 „ s:4 6 3 9 5th 2 ,, 10J4: 7 3 8 6th 3 „ oK 8 2 4 7th 3 >. 3;^ 10 2 25 Tenor 3 >, 7H •• 13 3 15 The clock now in the church tower was erected by public subscription in 1897. O'"" the Sunday afternoon of June 27th, after a special service at the \vest door of the church, con- ducted by the late rector, Canon Young, the clock was put in motion by the present Lord Armstrong's little son, "Will," then five years old, when the Cambridge quarter chimes were heard for the first time as the heavy pendulum began to swing, and three o'clock was struck upon the tenor bell. The parish time-keepers of past ages were the pulpit hour-glass, the sundial, the morning and evening bell, and the old church clock. In the churchwardens' accounts for 1667 occurs this item: — " ffor an houre glass, 00-01-00." Traces of two ancient circular vertical sundials are seen in the south wall of the chancel. The most perfect example is that cut on the face of the east buttress, about six feet from the ground ; the circle is 12 inches in diameter, and is divided into eight, and subdivided into sixteen spaces, with a hole in the centre for the style .'■■f^^SS ROTHBURV CHURCH. 403 or gnomon. The roughly drawn double circle of an earlier dial is cut on a large block in the masonry between the two eastern buttresses, on the right of „u,,* „-.--. the priest's door, about six feet from if^--^" """ the ground. The diameter of the '" ' Hint ^i 'Liue^w-^^^jt^- ^;%a?#«> outer circle is 155^ inches, the inner circle 12 inches; four distinct lines divide the inner circle into four equal parts, with the hole for the st)-]e in the centre. Sundials near the priest's door are frequently met with in the chancel walls of ancient churches. Previous to the re-building of the church, in 1850, a third sundial surmounted the gable of the old porch. Several of the older parishioners could remember the white lines and chapters of this sundial. /-=*--// 77 m ■^j^i>( ' \ I' . rB which was for fift\- )'ears entirely lost siglil of, until it was