I 



ElDING OF THE MARCHES. 45 



uortliwaixl, betwixt the town's property and tne estates of Craigs 

 and Netherwood, traversing the marches that they might be able to 

 decide in case of dispute. Thus they proceeded to Kelton Well, 

 where the burgh's superiority terminated. There the Clerk called 

 the roll of the heritors and burgesses, that the absents might be 

 fined. From thence they returned to town, with haut-boys, ancient 

 trumpets and drums, sounding before them. Some old people now 

 living (1792) remember to have seen this procession frequently. 



"The Laigh Sands," the reader explained, would be the AVliite- 

 sands. The Greensands and Whitesands used to be commonly 

 distinguished as the Over Sandbeds and the Under Sandbeds. 

 The flat laud in the ueig'hbourhood of the villag;e of Stoop was for 

 a long- time the racecourse of the town and was the scene of many 

 mounted contests. In 1827 the route of march was somewhat 

 different from that mentioned in the extract just read. He learned 

 from another contemporary account that " in the morning- the 

 trades, particularly the younger members, headed by the Convener 

 and Deacons, with drums beating, fifes playing, and colours flying, 

 proceeded along the Whitesands, Bridge Street, Greensands, 

 Moat, &c., as far as Punfield Burn. From thence they went to 

 Nunfield, Marchhill. Stoup, and Gasstown. From this point they 

 crossed the country to Kelton Thorn, where refreshments were 

 provided. The Provost and Magistrates, with the Town Clerks, 

 followed in two chaises the mam battalion of the marchers." It 

 was said that from six to eight hundred persons took part in that 

 march. To his knowledge there were at least two of the survivors 

 now resident in the town. They had a very vivid recollection of 

 the proceedings, which were carried through in the midst of a 

 violent snowstorm. The extract from Dr Burnside shewed that 

 oven towards the close of the last century the riding of the 

 marches was falling into disuetude ; and it was stated that before 

 the year 1827, to which Mr Anderson's account referred, they had 

 only been ridden thi'ee times within the memory of any then 

 living. Mr Dickie then proceeded to read the narrative, which 

 bore to be printed for private circulation, and was in form a parody 

 of the narrative books of the Old Testament, after the manner of 

 " the Caldee Manuscript " associated with the name of James 

 Hogg. The pageantry of the day was described in burlesque 

 terms ; a humorous enumeration of the various trades was given ; 

 and the third and closing chapter was occupied with an account of 



