Chapter I: Preface

At the time of his death, my brother had proceeded but a little way in this task which he and I began together, and I must frankly own my inability to cope with it on the lines which he would doubtless have followed. It is probable, for example, that his unrivalled knowledge of "the memories, legends, ballads, and nature of the Border" would have led him to show various important events in a light different from that in which my less intimate acquaintance with the past has enabled me to speak of them; whilst, as regards the Ballad literature of the Border, I cannot pretend to that expert knowledge which he possessed, I do not think, therefore, it is fitting that I should attempt to carry out his intention to deal more fully with those of the Ballads which are most closely connected with places treated of in this volume.

To him, more perhaps than to any other Borderer, every burn and stream, every glen and hill of that pleasant land was

". . . lull ot ballad notes,

Borne out of long ago."

It is many a year since he wrote those verses wherein he spoke of

" Old songs that sung themselves to me,

Sweet through a boy's day-dream."

But it was not alone in a boy's day-dream that they sounded. To the end, they echoed and re-echoed in his heart, and no voice ever spoke to him so eloquently as that of Tweed,--by whose banks, indeed, in a spot greatly loved, had it been permitted he would fain have slept his long sleep.

JOHN LANG.

_The artist wishes to call attention to the fact that his drawings were made during the long drought of 1911, when all the rivers were exceptionally low._

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

KELSO abbey....................................Frontispiece

HALIDON HILL AND THE TWO BRIDGES, BERWICK...............003

OLD BRIDGE AT BERWICK...................................006

BUTTRESSES WITH CANOPIED NICHES AT EDROM................014

AT CHIRNSIBE........................................... 015

DOORWAY IN GRAVEYARD AT EDROM...........................016

NORHAM CASTLE...........................................046

LADY KIRK...............................................047

FORD CASTLE FROM THE ROAD...............................049

LOOKING UP THE TILL FROM TWIZEL BRIDGE..................050

THE RIDGE ON WHICH THE SCOTTISH ARMY WAS ENTRENCHED
BEFORE THE BATTLE OF FLODDEN............................051

TWIZEL BRIDGE...........................................052

THE SLOPES AT BRANXTON ON WHICH THE
BATTLE OF FLODDEN WAS FOUGHT............................053

SYBIL GREY'S WELL AT FLODDEN............................055

BRIDGE OVER THE LEET, COLDSTREAM........................057

THE CHEVIOTS FROM COLDSTREAM FERRY......................060

FLOORS CASTLE FROM KELSO................................072

KELSO...................................................073

KELSO ABBEY.............................................075

KELSO. TEVIOT IN FOREGROUND.............................076

MEETING OF TWEED AND TEVIOT NEAR KELSO..................077

RUINS OF ROXBURGH CASTLE................................079

JEDBURGH FROM THE PARK..................................091

JEDBURGH ABBEY..........................................103

QUEEN MARY'S HOUSE, JEDBURGH............................105

FERNIHIRST CASTLE.......................................131

CATCLEUCH RESERVOIR LOOKING SOUTH.......................142

BRIDGE OVER JED WATER AT OLD SOUDEN KIRK.
THE CHEVIOTS BEHIND.....................................148

OTTERBURNE..............................................162

OTTERBURNE..............................................163

SOUDEN KIRK.............................................166

JOHN LEYDEN'S BIRTHPLACE, DENHOLM.......................179

CAVERS..................................................185

HAWICK..................................................186

THE TOWER INN, HAWICK...................................187

HORNSHOLE BRIDGE........................................188

ST. MARY'S, HAWICK......................................189

VALE OF THE BORTHWICK WATER LOOKING TOWARDS HAWICK......191

A GLIMPSE OF HARDEN.....................................192

GOLDIELANDS TOWER AND THE TEVIOT........................193

BRANKSOME...............................................194

BRANKSOME...............................................196

LOOKING DOWN TEVIOTDALE FROM CAERLANRIG.................197

TEVIOTHEAD KIRK.........................................202

TOMB OF SIR WALTER SCOTT, DRYBURGH......................207

SMAILHOLME TOWER........................................210

THE EILDONS FROM BEMERSYDE HILLS........................211

EARLSTON................................................218

THE RIVER AT DRYBURGH ABBEY.............................221

EILDON HILLS AND GORGE OF THE TWEED FROM LESSUDDEN......223

MELROSE FROM NEWSTEAD...................................224

MELROSE CROSS...........................................225

EAST WINDOW, MELROSE ABBEY..............................226

DARNICK TOWER...........................................228

ABBOTSFORD..............................................230

THE RHYMER'S GLEN.......................................232

GALASHIELS, THE EILDONS IN THE DISTANCE.................238

THE TWEED FROM THE FERRY, ABBOTSFORD....................241

TOR WOOD LEE............................................243

ABBOTSFORD FROM THE LEFT BANK OF THE TWEED.
THE EILDON HILLS BEHIND.................................244

WHERE TWEED AND ETTRICK MEET............................245

SELKIRK FROM THE HEATHERLIE.............................250

THE ETTRICK FROM THE OUTSKIRTS OF SELKIRK...............260

SELKIRK.................................................264

THE ETTRICK AT BOWHILL..................................274

OAKWOOD TOWER...........................................277

KIRKHOPE TOWER..........................................279

LOOKING UP ETTRICKDALE FROM HYNDHOPE....................280

ETTRICK WATER AT THE DELORAINES.........................281

THE BRIDGE AT TUSHIELAW.................................283

ETTRICK VALE FROM HYNDHOPE..............................284

BUCCLEUCH...............................................285

A GLIMPSE OF CLEARBURN LOCH.............................286

ETTRICK KIRK............................................288

MILL GANG AT ETTRICK....................................290

HYNDHOPE BURN...........................................291

ST. MARY'S LOCH AND THE LOCH OF THE LOVERS..............293

ST. MARY'S LOCH.........................................295

SITE OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH...............................296

THE DOUGLAS BURN AND BLACKHOUSE TOWER...................297

COCKBURNE'S GRAVE.......................................299

COPPERCLEUCH POST-OFFICE AND A GLIMPSE UP MEGGETDALE....301

TIBBIE SHIEL'S..........................................302

DRYHOPE TOWER...........................................304

THE GORDON ARMS.........................................306

VALE OF YARROW--THE GORDON ARMS IN THE DISTANCE.........307

DEUCHAR BRIDGE..........................................310

THE DOWIE DENS..........................................311

NEWARK..................................................315

YAIR BRIDGE.............................................317

FAIRNILEE...............................................320

CADDONFOOT LOOKING TOWARDS YAIR.........................321

THE INN AT CLOVENFORDS..................................322

THOMAS PURDIE'S GRAVE, MELROSE ABBEY....................323

THE TWEED AT ASHIESTEEL.................................325

THE TWEED BETWEEN ASHIESTEEL AND THORNILEE..............326

TOWER OF ELIBANK........................................328

INNERLEITHEN............................................329

A ROAD BESIDE THE TWEED, NEAR CADDONFOOT................331

THE CLOSED GATES AT TRAQUAIR HOUSE......................332

TRAQUAIR HOUSE..........................................333

WHERE THE QUAIR ENTERS THE TWEED ABOVE INNERLEITHEN.....335

ON THE ROAD TO PEEBLES..................................336

NELDPATH CASTLE.........................................341

PEEBLES FROM NEIDPATH...................................343

THE "BLACK DWARF'S COTTAGE IN THE MANOR VALLEY..........344

LOOKING UP THE MANOR VALLEY.............................346

BRIDGE OVER THE LYNE WATER..............................348

LOOKING UP TALLA FROM TWEEDSMUIR POST-OFFICE............360

BRIDGE OVER TWEED AT TWEEDSMUIR.........................361

TWEEDSMUIR..............................................363

TALLA RESERVOIR FROM TALLA LINN.........................366

A SKETCH ON THE GAMESHOPE BURN..........................368

THE DEVIL'S BEEF TUB....................................376

HERMITAGE CASTLE........................................384

MEETING OF THE HERMITAGE AND LIDDEL.....................386

MILLHOLME OR MILNHOLM CROSS.............................389

ON THE LIDDEL AT MANGERTON..............................390

CARLISLE CASTLE.........................................393

CARLISLE AND THE RIVER EDEN.............................394

CARLISLE FROM THE CASTLE RAMPARTS.......................395

A BYWAY IN CARLISLE.....................................396

THE MARKET CROSS, CARLISLE..............................397

DICK'S TREE. THE BLACKSMITH'S SHOP WHERE
KINMONT WILLIE'S FETTERS WERE TAKEN OFF.................399

THE REPUTED GRAVE OF KINMONT WILLIE IN SARK GRAVEYARD...400

SARK BRIDGE AND TOLL-BAR................................402

THE BLACKSMITH'S SHOP, GRETNA GREEN.....................403

SOLWAY MOSS.............................................404

ANCIENT CROSS, ARTHURET.................................405

GORGE ON THE LIDDEL.....................................406

STUDY IN CARLISLE CATHEDRAL.............................407

BRAMPTON................................................408

BEWCASTLE CHURCH AND CASTLE.............................410

BEWCASTLE CROSS.........................................411

NAWORTH CASTLE..........................................412

BEWCASTLE CROSS.........................................414

KIRK ANDREWS TOWER, NETHERBY............................417

THE ARMSTRONG TOWER ON THE ESK..........................419

GILNOCKIE BRIDGE........................................420

ON THE ESK AT HOLLOWS...................................422

LANGHOLM................................................424

MAP--THE ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH BORDER..........End of Volume

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HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS IN THE BORDER