218 FIELD MEETINGS. 
and appreciated them very much. The people who were not 
welcome at Knockbrex were the people who went about uprooting 
flowers, carving their names on rocks and trees, and scribbling 
on gates ; but anyone interested in botany or natural history would 
always be made very welcome there. 
At the business meeting the following new members were 
admitted :—Mrs Waddell, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ; Mr D. H. 
Hastie, Dumfries; Mr W. M. Grey, 5 Victoria ‘Terrace, 
Duntfries. 
The party, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Brown, then drove 
to Corseyard, the residence of Mr P. M‘Connell, Mr Brown’s 
factor, where the visitors’ book was signed. 
A visit was then paid to the “ broch ’’* on the Roberton shore 
discovered some time ago, and which has been excavated and 
cleared out under Mr Brown’s direction. ‘The main entrance is 
from the side nearest the road. The “broch’’ consists of two 
walls, with a passage about three feet wide between. The ground 
appears to have been excavated, as the outer wall is built against 
the rock. When first discovered the walls, outer and inner, were 
about three feet high. A mark has been made indicating the 
height when found, and they have been considerably heightened. 
From the inner court a number of openings lead into the passage. 
This has evidently been covered, as at the west corner the slabs 
across are still in position. In the south corner is a part of the 
original pavement, and here most of the interesting relics, now at 
Knockbrex House, were found. These consist of a beautiful 
ear-ring found in the main doorway, teeth, skeleton of a hand, 
remains of chain metal, blue and white bead, rings. Still lying 
in the “broch’”’ are to be seen a quern, a stone knife, and a 
whetstone, all in excellent preservation; besides fragments of 
deer’s antlers. On the south-west is a passage leading through 
both walls, and still showing the original path to the shore, 
covered with rough slabs. Another peculiarity is the number of 
openings leading into the passage. The whole building is 
circular. The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that 
no structure of this kind has hitherto been known to exist in the 
south-west parts of Scotland. <A broch is described by Dr Joseph 
Anderson as a hollow circular tower of dry-built masonry, rarely 
* Notr.—Since this was written further research has shown that this 
building is not a ‘‘ broch” but an ancient fort.—Eb. 
