2nd s. VIII. Oct. 22. '69.] 



NOTES AND QUERIJIS. 



325 



For all this she refers in a note to the letter of 

 Walsingham, which was found among Paulett's 

 own papers, and has since been printed by 

 Thomas Hearne, the antiquary, in his Appendix 

 to Eobert of Gloucester^ and by others. Now, 

 according to the letters, as given in my copy of 

 Hearne's Appendix, it appears, first, that though 

 Paulett replied to Walsingham in the first person 

 only, yet the letter concludes thus, — 



" Your most assured poore friends, 



" A. POULKT — D. Dkury." 



Secondly. The postscript was the postscript of 

 Paulett, and not of Drury (as Miss Strickland 

 says it was), and reads thus : — 



" Your letters " (for there were two others from Davison 

 requesting the letter ' to be consumed in the fire '), 

 coming in the plural Number, seem to be meant as to 

 Sir Drew Drewrye as to myself, & yet because he is not 

 nam'd in them, neither the Letter directed unto him, he 

 forbeareth to make anj' particular Answere, but sub- 

 scribeth in heart to my opinion." 



Such is the way in which Miss Strickland 

 writes history, with the authorities before her ; 

 and this will help to determine the degree of 

 confidence with which she must be read by the 

 students of English history. P. H. F. 



KIBK SESSION RECORDS. 



Will you accept of a few items from the Kirk 

 Session Records of the parish of Hiitton, Berwick- 

 shire ? They are curious, and will serve to illus- 

 trate the morals and manners of bygone times: — 



" 170 1, May 25. Collected for the harbour of Eyemouth, 

 111. 6s. Od., and delivered to Mr. Ramsaij, minister there. 



"1701, Sept. 21. The Moderator (i. e. Mr. Gilbert 

 Lourie, minister of the parish, who was Moderator of the 

 Session) having received a letter from 3fr. Crighton, 

 minister of the Tron Church at Edinburgh, craving that 

 the Session would order their officer to summon Robert 

 Johnston of Hilton in this parish (^Hutton, residing at 

 Hutton Hall), to appear before the Tron Church to satisfy 

 church discipline there, for the filthy fact of fornication, 

 some time ago committed by him within the bounds of 

 this parish, and that upon the 28th day of October next. 

 The Session ordered accordingly. 



"1701, April 7. John Hvgard, one of the elders, sum- 

 moned before the Session for the scandalous fact of 

 quarrelling and fighting with one John Nesbet. The 

 Moderator gravely rebuked him, and farther asked him 

 if he did not present a gun to the said John, and whether 

 he did ysult (assault) him next day with a drawn 

 sword ? He confessed both, but for excuse alledged he 

 was in drink. The Moderator told him the pretended 

 excuse was rather an aggravation of his crime, and again 

 rebuked him for the same, and his other miscarriages. 

 (He was afterwards publicly rebuked before the congre- 

 gation for those misdemeanors.) 



"1702, March 2. This day was read from the pulpit 

 the sentence of excommunication against Robert Craw of 

 East Reston. (This individual afterwards engaged in the 

 Rebellion of 1715.) 



" 1702, May 24. Margaret Home, being delated to the 

 Session, for cursing and swearing, and abusing Beaty Da- 

 vidson; ordered that she be summoned to the Session 



next dyet. (Cursing and swearing among the ladies 

 seem to have been very prevalent in those days, as wc 

 find Katherine Pearson and Janet Trotter summoned be- 

 fore the Session soon after for the same, and numerous 

 other instances may also be cited). 



" 1702, Septr. 13. The Session appointed two of their 

 number, viz. Adam Douglas and George Foord to observe 

 the fishers of Paxton, if any of them encroached on the 

 Sabbath by fishing (in the Tweed). 



" 1702, Oct. 25. This day, the Session enacted that 

 none should be allowed the benefit of proclamation for 

 marriage, but such as should appear before the Session in 

 person, or by proxie, and mortifie fourteen shillings Scots 

 to the poor, and find sufficient sureties for accomplishing 

 their marriage without violation of the rules of church 

 or state. 



" 1702, Nov. 22. This day, Christian orne and Mar- 

 garet Craw, of the parish of Coldingham, now denounced 

 fugitive from discipline. 



" 1703, April II. This day the minister exhorted 

 both old and j'oung within the parish, to keep within 

 doors after public worship, and to spend the remainder of 

 the Lord's day in relegious exercises. George Allan and 

 John Ross, elders in Paxton, reported that going through 

 their quarters (districts) on the Sabbath, thej' found se- 

 veral persons lying in their beds in time of divine service ; 

 the Session enjoined the said elders to admonish the said 

 persons, under pain of public censure. 



" , July 25. The members appointed to observe the 



fishers on Tweed, report that this morning, about sun- 

 rising, they saw several coming home from the water, 

 and George Hogard drawing his net ; appoint him to be 

 summoned to next Sessicm. 



" 25. Payed to James Scoidar for a coffin to the 



deceased Elspeth Lmnsden, 21. lis. Qd. Scots. 



" 22. Jea7i Faden, complaining on Elspeth Ptirves 



for calling her witch. To be summoned to next dj'et. 

 Helen Winram, delated for swearing. Septr. 29, Elspeth 

 Purvey compearing, denies she called Jean Faden witch, 

 but confesses that she called her daughter witches brood ; 

 which the Session holding as a confession of the guilt she 

 is charged for, appoint her to receive a publick rebuke 

 before the congregation next Lord's day. ^ 



" 1704, Jan. 9. The Moderator advertised . the several 

 members to observe in their quarters what parents were 

 not able to pay for their children's learning, and to exhort 

 them to put them to school at the charge of the Session. 



" 1704, May 28. The Session being informed of the 

 scandalous behaviour of Robert Bowmaker, John Miller, 

 John Nesbit, Alexander Friskin, Walter Elliot, and John 

 Huton, in drinking all night, appoints them to be sum- 

 moned to next Session. 



" 1709, Dec. 25. There being a flagrant report on Wil- 

 liam Jaffrey, and Henry Cochburn, that they should have 

 consulted with one Thomas Hogard of ill fame in Berwick, 

 about a web of cloth, and raising the ^cind, appoints them 

 to be summoned to next Session. 



" 1714, June 27. The Session being informed that Ca- 

 therine Robisson, Janet Bowmaker, Agnes Stork, Helen 

 Ramsay, Isabel A^esbit, Mary Archer, Agnes Hyslop, and 

 3Iargaret Cocburn, were guilty of Sabbath-breaking in 

 laying out their webs on Sabbath night: ordered the 

 said persons to be summoned to the next Session. 



" 1725, July 25. Given to a poor man in Coldingham 

 parish, whose house was totally burnt, 1/. 10s. Scots. 

 Nov. 2. For a coat to a poor boj' in Paxton, 21. 4s. Od. Scots. 

 Dec. 5. For shoes to a poor lad, 0/. 16s. Od. Scots. Dec. 26. 

 For a New Testament to a poor scholar in Paxton called 

 Margaret Winter, 01. 10s. Qd. Scots. 



" 1702, Nov. 8. This daj' the Session enacted that 

 within the parish, the price for the mart cloth (pall) 

 should be one pound Scots, and four shillings (Scots) to 



