THE Brus INSCRIPTION AT ANNAN. 73 
built into the town-house, finally disappeared nearly forty 
years ago. A stone, taken from the ruins, and built into 
the wall of a small vintage-house in a garden in the town, 
bears this inscription :—‘ RoBert DE Brus CounTE De 
CARRICK ET SENIOUR DE VAL DE ANNAND. 1300.’ Separated 
from the ancient site of the castle, now forming the Old 
Churchyard by a sort of ravine, there is an artificial mound 
of considerable extent, designated the moat, supposed, like 
other places of the same name, to have been raised by the 
Saxons as a spot on which to assemble for the administration 
of justice.”’ 
From this it would appear that Mr Monilaws supposed 
the stone to have been taken from a building not at the Mote, 
put in the vicinity of the present Town Hall. 
Having frequently seen references to the stone, it was 
natural to me to expect that in Annan itself some memory 
of it would survive, and I remember asking the late Mr 
William J. Cuthbertson, editor and proprietor of the 
Annandale Observer, whether he knew where the stone was. 
He told me that he had himself often inquired, but that all 
trace of its whereabouts was lost. 
The matter standing thus, the missing stone was for me 
merely a regret that there was no opportunity to examine 
the inscription so as to test the statements of Pococke and 
Pennant, and those who have followed them, in briefly notic- 
ing the existence of the stone. It had ceased to inspire 
curiosity, when, most unexpectedly, good fortune sent what 
direct enquiry had entirely failed to reveal. A letter came 
to me from my friend, Professor W. R. Halliday, B.Litt. 
He had become known to me during his sojourn in Glasgow 
as lecturer on Greek Archeology in Glasgow University, 
prior to his appointment as Professor of Ancient History in 
the University of Liverpool. The letter was to the following 
effect :-— 
Glenthorne, Brendon, N. Devon, 
July 21, 1914. 
DeEaR NEILSON, 
‘*T wonder if the enclosed is of any interest to you 
Scotch antiquaries. I know nothing about medizval stuff 
