14 Address of the Secretary. 



turalist Club should take place at Newcastleton ; and the 

 morning proving fine, a considerable party started early, and 

 reached Newcastleton shortly after 10 o'clock, where they 

 met Sir "Walter Elliot, President of the Berwickshire Club, 

 and various members. Several visitors had also joined. 



Upwards of thirty sat down to breakfast, and it was after- 

 wards arranged that one party was to drive to Hermitage 

 Castle and afterwards to walk to Riccarton Station, while 

 those of the Dumfries party would return to Newcastleton, 

 and depart without remaining to dinner, owing to its being 

 impossible otherwise to catch trains which would enable them 

 to reach home that night. This was not foreseen when fixing 

 the plan of meeting, and sadly interfered with the party. 

 Another party was to proceed on foot down the Liddell, 

 under the intelligent guidance of Messrs John Elliot and 

 Adam Noble of Newcastleton. 



The party to Hermitage explored the Castle, and returned 

 as already mentioned, but we saw no record of what was done, 

 and would refer to the history by Sir Walter Elliot, 

 given in his excellent address to the Berwickshire Clul), to 

 which we refer our members. 



The pedestrians were first directed to a fine old cross a 

 little down the road, said to mark the spot where the body of 

 a former Armstrong of Mangerton who was horribly murdered 

 by the Lord of Hermitage, was set down on its way to the 

 Churchyard of Ettleton, higher up the hill. 



About 300 or 400 yards up the hill is the Churchyard of 

 Ettleton, the burial place of the Armstrongs, some of whose 

 tombstones, with armorial bearings and long inscriptions, 

 were examined. A portion of the party crossed the Liddell 

 and inspected the ruined Tower of Mangerton, the stronghold 

 of the chief of the Armstrongs. All that now remains is the 

 ruined lower storey, in the west wall of which is a sculptured 

 stone bearing the Armstrong effigy, — not as stated by Nisbct, 

 but the common one of an arm and two-handed sword, with 

 the date 1580. This party afterwards joined that which had 



