38 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2»<i S. IX. Jan. 21. '60. 



Now for the reminiscences of the two philoso- 

 phers : — 



" On inquiring for an ancient inhabitant of Battersea 

 (says Sir Richard), I was introduced to a Mrs. Gilliard, 

 a pleasant and intelligent woman, who told me she well 

 remembered Lord Bolingbroke ; that he used to ride out 

 every day in his chariot, and had a black patch on his 

 cheek, with a large wart over bis eyebrows. She was 

 then but a girl, but she was taught to look upon him 

 with veneration as a great man. As, however, he spent 

 little in the place, and gave little away, he was not much 

 regarded by the people of Battersea. I mentioned to her 

 the names of several of his contemporaries, but she recol- 

 lected none, expect that of Mallet, whom she said she 

 had often seen walking about in the village, while he was 

 visiting at Bolingbroke House." 



John Timbs. 



BURGHUAD: SINGULAR CUSTOM: CLAVIE: 

 DURIE. 



The village of Btirghead is situated on the 

 southern shore of the Moray Frith, about nine 

 miles distant from Elgin, the county town of 

 Morayshire. Though its former glory has now 

 departed, it was at one time a great military strong- 

 hold, occupying almost the whole of a remarkable 

 promontory which stretches out into the sea in a 

 westerly direction. Unfortunately for the anti- 

 quary, the fortifications which once defended it 

 were almost all demolished in the course of im- 

 provements on the harbour and the village, com- 

 menced to be made about the year 1808; but a 

 beautiful plan of them with sections will be found 

 in General Roy's Military Antiquities, plate xxxiii. 

 Those who can refer to this map may observe that 

 the innermost of the four ramparts, which run 

 from sea to sea, makes a semicircular curve round 

 a particular spot. This was then a green hollow, 

 which tradition had long pointed out as the site 

 of the well of the fort; and excavations under- 

 taken here in 1809 by the late Wm. Young, Esq., 

 resulted in its discovery. It is hewn with great 

 care and skill out of the solid rock, and still yields 

 a supply of excellent water. An account of this 

 interesting relic of the past is said to be contained 

 in the Advertisement to the second edition of Pin- 

 kerton's Enqui?-y into the History of Scotland pre- 

 ceding the lteign of Malcolm the Third. Edin. 

 1814. 



The existence of these remains has given rise 

 to various opinions regarding the early history of 

 Burghead. Roy, and those who take him as their 

 guide, identifying it with the XlTtpwrhv o-Tparlnrzuov 

 of Ptolemy and the Ptoroton of the treatise De 

 Situ Britannia:, usually attributed to Richard of 

 Cirencester, consider the fortifications to have 

 been originally the work of the Romans, admit- 

 ting, however, that the Danes may have after- 

 wards in some degree altered them during their 

 occupation of the promontory. On the discovery 

 of the well, antiquaries of this school unhesita- 



tingly gave it the designation it still popularly 

 retains of the " Roman Well," and it has even 

 been dignified by some of them with the name of 

 a Roman Bath, though nothing more inconvenient 

 for the purposes of a lavatory can well be con- 

 ceived. Stuart, misled in this way, actually 

 founds an argument in favour of Burghead hav- 

 ing been a Roman station, on the existence there 

 " of a Roman bath, and also of a deep well, built 

 in the same manner (!) " {Caledonia Romana, 2nd 

 ed. p. 214.) But as this is certainly the " Burgh " 

 or Fort of Moray, said by Torfaeus (Orcadcs) to 

 have been built (circa a. d. 850) by Sigurd, a 

 Norwegian chief who had invaded that part of 

 Scotland, and which is elsewhere mentioned by 

 him as a Norwegian stronghold under the name of 

 Eccialsbacca, there are others who believe that 

 both the fortifications and the well are the work 

 of the Norsemen. The Naverna of Buchanan 

 (Rerum Scot. Hist.'), which that author repre- 

 sents the Danes as seizing and occupying for a 

 time in the reign of Malcolm II., is doubtless 

 identical with Burghead, as Roy correctly sur- 

 mises. Dr. Daniel Wilson, a high authority on 

 all questions of Scottish archaeology, is of opinion 

 that this fort, along with several others of the 

 so-called Roman posts described by General Roy, 

 bears conclusive marks of native workmanship. 

 He admits, indeed, that Burghead may possibly 

 include some remains of Roman works. 



" The straight wall," he says, "and rounded angle?, so 

 characteristic of the legionary earthworks, are still dis- 

 cernible, and were probably still more obvious when 

 General Roy explored the fort ; but its character is that 

 of a British fort, and its site, on a promontory inclosed 

 bj' the sea, is opposed to the practice of the Romans in 

 the choice of an encampment." (Prchist. Ann. of Scotland, 

 p. 411.) 



The object of the present communication is to 

 give a short account of a singular custom that has 

 been observed in Burghead from time immemorial, 

 in the hope that some of your readers will be able 

 to trace its origin, as well as the etymology of 

 two words, unknown elsewhere in the north of 

 Scotland, -which will be frequently employed in 

 describing it ; and the preceding remarks have 

 been made as possibly affording a clue to guide 

 the researches of any who may take the trouble of 

 inquiring into this somewhat curious subject. 



On the evening of the last day of December, 

 (Old Style) the youth of the village assemble 

 about dusk, and make the necessary^preparations 

 for the celebration of the " clavie." Proceeding 

 to some shop they demand a strong empty barrel, 

 which is- usually gifted at once, but if refused, 

 taken by force. Another for breaking up, and a 

 quantity of tar are likewise procured at the same 

 time. Thus furnished they repair to a particular 

 spot close to the sea-shore, and commence opera- 

 tions. A hole about four inches in diameter is first 

 made in the bottom of the stronger barrel, into 



