98 Transactions. 



The finger-rings are of thiu sheet gold, and consequently aie 

 hollow. One (fig. 6) is plain and set with a pebble, which is pierced 

 longitudinally, as if it had formerly been a bead. Surrounding 

 the pebble are six small settings for stones, two of which contain 

 emeralds. The second ring is also plain, and has a single pebble 

 setting. The beads are of jet, fifteen in number, twelve of which 

 are of oblong barrel shape, from f inch to i inch in length, one 

 flat circular and ^ inch in diameter, and two scpiare shaped, 

 measuring ^ inch each way and ^ inch thick. The corners of 

 both of these beads are bevelled. 



The coins numbered fifty -three in all, and consisted of pennies 

 of Edward I. and II. of England, of various mints; one of 

 Alexander III. of Scotland, and two of John Baliol. The coins 

 are of importance as enabling us to fix a date for the brooches and 

 finger-rings, which may be assigned to the end of the thirteenth or 

 beginning of the fourteenth century.' 



In 1.S78 a curious discovery was made in the wall of an old 

 house in Dumfries, consisting of a number of coins, silver brooches, 

 &c., oxidised into a mass. The coins number about one hundred 

 and fifty, and are all billon pennies of James I. of Scotland, Of 

 the brooches, one is a plain ring. If inch in diameter, with pin ; 

 and there are portions of two other similar brooches. A half of 

 another brooch, 1 inch in diameter, has three sockets standing up 

 from the upper face, in two of which are garnets. There is also 

 a small cross pendant 1| inch across the arms, which are of equal 

 length, and have globular ends. A small chain of interlaced rope 

 pattern, probably for suspending the cross, completes the lot. 



CARVED DOOi;, &C. 



There is a carved wooden door from Amisfield Castle, 5 feet 

 7 inches in length by 3 feet in breadth, with a representation of 

 Samson rending the jaws of the lion. It is a most grotesque piece 

 of work. Grose refers to it as follows : — '> On one of the doors 

 [of Amisfield Castle] is the figure of a man, tearing open the jaws 

 of a lion, most barbarously carved in basso-relievo, and most 

 tawdrily painted. The carver was undoubtedly the same that cut 

 the figure of Sir Herbert Herries in Trelegles Church."^ The 



1 Three of the brooches and one ring are shown on pi. viii. vol. v. of 

 Proceedinr/s of Society Antiquaries of Scotland, reproduced infigs. 3-6. 

 - Antiquities of Scotland, vol. i. p. 158. 



