338 BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. [ Sess, LXXII. 
MEETING OF THE SOCIETY, 
April 9, 1908. 
J. Rurnerrorp Hi, Esa., President, in the Chair. 
The following communications were read :— 
TREES ON THE Dawyck EstaTE. By W. BALFOUR 
GourRLAY, B.A. (Plates VIII—XIII.) 
The lands of Dalwick or Dawick were held, from the 
thirteenth to the end of the seventeenth century, by the 
Veitches, a Norman-French family. In the year 1296 
William le Vache signs the Ragman Roll. The name 
appears in various subsequent charters, Vache changing to 
Vaitch and finally to Veitch. By the early part of the 
fifteenth century the Veitches are a leading county family. 
They suffered much at the hands of their impetuous neigh- 
bours the Tweedies of Drummelzier, the two families living 
normally in a state of feud. 
The Veitches were succeeded by the Naesmyths of Posso, 
in the Manor Valley—a very old county family. James 
Naesmyth, familiarly known as the Deil o’ Dawick, was a 
lawyer of considerable means, which enabled him to com- 
mence the carrying out of improvements about the house and 
lands, there being great scope for work in this direction. 
He died in 1706, and was succeeded by his son Sir James 
Naesmyth of Posso, the first baronet. Sir James followed 
his father’s profession. Of Dawick in his time Pennecuick 
writes :— 
“Tt is now (1715) in the hands of Sir James Naesmyth of 
Posso, an eminent lawyer, who has rebuilt the house and 
garden, and added some more ornamental planting for the 
beauty of the place. Here in an old orchard did the herons 
in my time build their nests upon some large pear-trees, 
whereupon, in the harvest-time, are to be seen much fruit 
growing, and trouts and eels crawling down the body of these 
trees. These fish the herons take out of the river Tweed to 
