Antiquities of Girthon. 75 



merly as " Locharbrig'gs Hill," the place is not without note in 

 history and traditional story. It was a rendezvous for troops. 

 The Commissioners of Supply of the County of Dumfries being 

 called upon by the Government for a levy of soldiers, they, accord- 

 ing to a minute of date loth April, 1672, "appoint that there be 

 expended on each man £24 Scots in mounting him with a good 

 blue cloth coat well lined with sufficient stuff or serge, a pair of 

 double-soled shoes, stockings, and a black hat ; two shirts and 

 two gravats, and honest breaches and coat ; all which mounting 

 is to be examined narrowly when the men meet at Locharbridge 

 Hill on the 21st instant." It is added "that the leaders of the 

 different districts are to have their men ready on the said 21st under 

 pain of imprisonment and other censure, as his Majesty's council 

 may think fit." This was during the time of the persecution, and 

 many of the leaders did not give their services willingly. Tradi- 

 tion assigns to this hill the importance of being the noted tryst 

 of the Nithsdale and Galloway warlocks and witches, some of 

 whom rode to the gatherings on broomsticks shod with murdered 

 men's boues. Others, however, were provided with steeds of flesh 

 and blood, as at one of the meetings, or Hallowmas rades, as they 

 were called, some of these were swept away and drowned by the 

 swell of the turbulent tide, and in reveng-e the arm of the sea 

 which reached the head of the Lochar was, by deep incantation, 

 transformed into a great quagmire or moss, so to remain for aye : 



Once a wood, then a sea ; 

 Now a moss, and aye will be. 



The following is a fragment of the witches' " Gathering Hymn," 

 preserved by Allan Cunningham : 



When the grey howlet has thrice hoo'd, 

 When the grimy cat has three times mewed, 

 When the tod has yowled three times i' the wode, 

 At the red moon cowering ahin the clud ; 

 When the stars ha'e cruppen deep i' the drift, 

 Lest cantrips had pyked them out o' the lift, 

 Up horses a', but mair adowe, 

 Ryde, ryde, for Locharbriggs Known. ! 



l\.—The Antiquities of Girthon. By Rev. W. W. COATS, B.D. 



It is with some hesitation that I venture to offer any remarks 

 on a subject to which I have not given special study. But, as I 



