FALCONRY IN BERWICKSHIRE. 17 



time that the samin be schonie, and that na man ryde 

 or gang upon quheate na time of the zeir, and that na 

 Partrick be taken unto the Feaste of Michael-mes. Ten 

 poundes for the first fault, twentie poundes the nixt, and 

 the thrid fault escheitting of their guds moveable." ^ A 

 third Act was passed at the same date " anentis stealing 

 of Halkes," and it was extended to " the fowlers lyand at 

 wait with their nettes."^ Hawking must have been a 

 favourite sport of King James vi,, for we find him in 

 his first Parliament, on the loth of December 1567, 

 passing a severe Act to the effect " that quhat-sum-ever 

 person or personis, of quhat Estaite, degree or conditioun 

 that ever they be of, schuttis in ony times cumming 

 with Culvering, Cros-bow or Handbow at Dae, Eae, Hart, 

 Hunde, Hair, Cunning, Dow, Herron, or foule of river 

 within this realm, sail foirfault and tyne their haill moveable 

 gudis," and for the next fault in the case of " ane vaga- 

 bound not havand gudis," to " cut of his richt hand." ^ 

 During this king's reign no fewer than ten Acts for the 

 preservation of game, and against " schutting with gunnes 

 at wylde-fowles," were passed between 1567 and 1621, 

 including one on the 4th of August of the last-mentioned 

 year which bore " That no man Hunt nor Halk at any 

 time hereafter, who hath not a Plough of land in Heritage 

 under the paine of ane hundredth pounds ;"* another of the 

 same date being " Anent the harrying of Haulke Nests, and 

 hunting in Snow." ^ 



In the reign of James vi.. Sir George Home of Wedder- 

 burn, who was born about 1550, and succeeded to the 

 family estate in 1574, seems to have been very fond of 

 hawking. Godscroft, in his MS. History of the Homes of 



1 The Laws and Acts of Parliament inade by the Kings and Queen of Scotland. 

 Collected by Sir Thomas Murray of Glendook : Edinburgh, 1681, p. 157. 



^ Ibid. p. 158. 3 ma, pp. 186, 187. ^ Ibid. p. 479. s Ibid. p. 479. 



VOL. II. B 



