I'lELD MeEIINGS. ^45 



FIELD MEETINGS. 



14th May, 1914. 



Craigenputtock and Lettrick. 



Members of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natur?..' 

 History and Antiquarian Society, with several friends, made 

 an excursion on Thursday to Craigenputtock, the moorland 

 home from 1828 to 1834 ^f Thomas Carlyle and his wife. 

 The company numbered sixty, and in addition to the Dum- 

 fries party, it included conting-ents from Sanquhar and 

 Annan. The journey was made in three large motor char-a- 

 bancs, supplemented by a private motor car, the vehicles 

 stalling at half-past two in the afternoon from the King's 

 Arms Garage, Dumfries. The weather throughout the after- 

 noon was delightfully sunny, and the countryside through 

 which the party passed displayed all the freshness and beauty 

 of early summer, circumstances which added in no small 

 degree to the pleasure which the excursion afforded. 



The outward journey was by way of Irongray, famous 

 in Covenanting history as the scene of the ministerial labours 

 of the Rev. John Welsh, and of the great conventicle on 

 Skeoch Hill in the summer of 1678; and no less famous in 

 Scottish literature, since its churchyard contains the grave 

 of Helen Walker, the prototype of Jeanie Deans, and in its 

 manse there lived for several years, as minister of the parish, 

 Dr A. K. H. Boyd, better known by his numerous initials of 

 "A. K. H. B." The first halt was made at Irongray 

 Churchyard, where the party was receixed by the Rev. 

 Samuel Dunlop, the present minister of the parish. He 

 pointed out scxeral of the more interesting grave-stones 

 which the churchyard contains, including that which Sir 

 Walter Scott erected over the grave of Helen Walker, anc! 

 on which he caused to be carved an adniirahlv-worded 



