Antiquities of Eskdalemuie. 17 



specimen of an old Cymric camp commanding the wliole valley 

 both north and south. There is, I am told, an old Roman road 

 running through the valley northwards starting from the ancient 

 fort, although 1 myself have not been able to discover the faintest 

 trace of it ; but as the term Roman was often curiously applied to 

 places, to building- structures, and works of all kinds, that simply 

 coutiadicted the most elementary canons that ruled all Roman 

 handiwork, I have very little faith in the Roman theory as to this 

 now " submerged " road. It wants to be discovered first before 

 it can be pronounced either British or Roman. But from this road, 

 real or traditional, the farmhouse standing immediately behind the 

 ancient fort was called " Causeway," or " The Causeway." A 

 modern amalgamation of both names, Kerrock and Causeway, has 

 turned it into Cassock — and at the present time the Scotcli pro- 

 nounciation of the word is simply Cassa. The name Wat Carrick 

 survives further down the glen, and applies both to a Chapel and 

 Churchyard, as I shall presently show you. Confining my atten- 

 tion at present to the upper part of the parish, however, I need 

 hardly say that not a few legends and traditions have gathered 

 round and clung to these northern glens, cleuchs and gorges — a 

 specimen or two of which I propose offering to you to-night. 

 Naturally in an age when superstition held sway over the minds 

 of a simple and ignorant people, it was only to be expected that 

 they should pay tribute to their fears and beliefs in the super- 

 natural, and that these fears and beliefs should, from time to time, 

 find embodiment and expression (ludicrous enough oftentimes) in 

 story, tale or ballad. The very names of many of the burns and 

 glens are suggestive of the uncanny, and can be only adequately 

 described as sanguineous. Glendearg {e.g.) means the red or 

 bloody glen, and the upper half of another glen in close proximity 

 is ominously called the Blood HoiJe. There or thereabouts it is 

 said that many of the poor persecuted Covenanters found shelter 

 and hiding. There is a legend that a conventicle held in the 

 Cauldrons (and no fitter place could well be imagined for such a 

 purpose) was disturbed by the approach of Claverhouse and his 

 dragoons — but that the poor wretches thus tracked to their lair 

 made a miraculous escape, being in a moment modified into moor- 

 fowl. It seems they haunt the place in that shape (dear to all 

 sportsmen) still, and must have proof of lead, for, says the bax'd of 

 Ettrick. with perhaps a little poetical embellishment : Jamie 



