BonsHaw Tower. 165 
The walls are six feet through in the thinnest place. Over the 
old yett (or entrance door) is carved the sacred motto in raised 
letters— 
SOLI . DEO . HONOR . ET . GLORIA. 
The old iron yett is gone. When James VI. came to the throne 
in 1603 he had all the iron yetts of the Border towers destroyed 
to put down the power of the Border chieftains. You first enter 
a small hall about six feet square, communicating with the 
old stone wheel stair on one side, and with the old retainers’ 
kitchen on the other. From the covert roof of this hall hangs 
about eighteen inches or two feet an eight-sided stone, like a vast 
seal. It has on it, in ancient Hebrew raised letters, I.H.S. in 
monogram. This is called the Crusader’s Stone, and, tradition 
says, was brought from the walls of the old Temple at Jerusalem 
by one of the lIrvings, who was one of the first 
crusaders (about 1100), was taken to Rome and_ blessed 
Myeethe Pope, and then fixed here. It is supposed 
to bless everyone of Irving blood that passes under it. You pass 
on into the retainers’ kitchen, which has an arched stone with a 
hole in the centre, covered with a stone, for the passing up of 
ammunition to the room above. ‘There is also a big iron hook in 
the apex of the roof; they say for hanging anyone on the laird 
had no further use for. In one corner in the thickness of the wall 
is a gloomy dungeon for prisoners. In the centre of each wall is 
a large firing hole. Along one wall is a large stone bin, probably 
to hold salt provisions when in siege. The floor, as well as the 
walls and ceiling, are of solid stone. Passing again through the 
wee hall, you enter the wheel stair, the stone steps of which are 
much worn, though it is in perfect preservation. Up these stairs 
in 1306 passed King Robert the Bruce when flying from Edward 
Longshanks. This was the first dwelling in Scotland he 
entered. 
On the first floor you enter the grand hall of the Tower, 
called King Robert the Bruce’s room. It is now used as a 
library, but the plain solid stone walls are undisturbed. An 
arched recess in one of the walls forms a small altar or, in old 
Scots, a wumbry. In one of the window recesses are two stone 
seats, to fire from in time of siege. In other two window recesses 
are square stone holes or boxes, to hold ammunition. There is a 
huge fireplace that would hold half-a-dozen men. Going on up 
