109 



FIELD MEETINGS. 



12th June, 190 1. — Glencuit'u. 



The first field meeting for the season of the Society took 

 place on Saturday, June 12, 1901, and proved to be one of the 

 pleasantest and most interesting in its recent annals. The excursion 

 was to the lower end of the parish of Grleucairn, where the party 

 inspected the British camp at Snade, and were during the after- 

 noon the guests of Mrs Martin of Dardarroch and her family ; 

 and the return drive was made by way of Lag Glen, with passing 

 calls at Brockhill stone and the ruined tower of Lag. Brilliant 

 sunshine favoured the outing. Passing the Druidical circle in 

 Holywood, it was compared with the drawing given by Grose, 

 of date 1789, and the absence was remarked of the twelfth stone 

 shewn in the picture. At Duuscore Dr Martin, of Holywood, 

 who had arranged the programme of the day, took up the role of 

 guide. Quitting the high road and crossing the Cairn by the foot- 

 bridge, near a marshy spot where the curlews seem to nest, the 

 company proceeded first to the site of the old castle or baronial 

 residence near the farm-house of Snade, which is indicated by 

 some foundation remains and more tangibly by a grove of ancient 

 yew trees, a couple of which were measured and found to be ten 

 feet in girth at a height of three feet from the ground. The 

 yews have pretty well encircled the house, except on the northern 

 side, and part of them are planted in a double row, so as to form 

 an avenue by which the main entrance would be approached. In 

 the year 1665, or at a slightly earlier date, the barony of Snade 

 was divided, half of it going" to swell the possessions of John 

 Laurie of Maxwelton. The other half, on which the baronial 

 residence had stood, would seem to have been acquired by Walter 

 Kiddel of Minto, a member of an old Roxburghshu-e family, who 

 impressed upon the property his own name by styling it Glen- 

 riddel. The son of this John Lnurie was Sir Robert, the first 

 baronet of the Maxwelton line, who figures in history as one of 



