Dr. Wilson on Linton and its Legends. 25 



period when Ida, the founder of Bamborough, had made a first 

 attempt at permanent conquest. It was towards the middle of 

 the seventh century that Paulinus succeeded in introducing 

 Christianity ; but there were still struggles against the new doc- 

 trines, and it was not till the close of this century that they could 

 be regarded as having been generally adopted. A century and a 

 half later, however, there was again a fresh ingression of pagan- 

 ism under the Danes ; though before the termination of the ninth 

 century the Danish ruler had himself embraced Christianity, and 

 the struggle finally ceased. Thus, at the time when Richard Cumyn 

 became possessor of the manor of Linton, or shortly before the 

 middle of the twelfth century, the country had been fully chris- 

 tianized for an extended series of years : yet tbe remembrance of 

 the past conflicts would doubtless still dwell freshly in the me- 

 mories of the people, who had been taught, by long experience, 

 to look upon heathenism as at once their spiritual and their 

 temporal enemy, and who doted too fondly on their traditions 

 to allow them easily to pass into oblivion. 



But there is little probability that any portion of the actually 

 existing fabric of the church of Linton can date from a more 

 remote period than that of Richard Cumyn, though there seems 

 reason to believe that its foundation may have been really the 

 act of that individual, and thus nearly contemporary with that 

 of the magnificent abbey of Kelso, of which it became afterwards 

 an appendage. The grateful Cumyn, with a just regard for the 

 memory of his benefactor, bestows it, under its then name of 

 Lyntunruderic, upon the church " Sancte Marie de Kelchou, el 

 monachis ibidem deo servientibus •" along with half a plough- 

 gate of land in the villa of Lyntunruderic, ." pro anima Henrici 

 comitis domini mei, et pro anima, Johannis filii rnei," whose 

 bodies were interred in the abbey to which he makes the benefac- 

 tion. He stipulates also piously for his own soul, and for the 

 souls of his predecessors and successors; and adds the curious, 

 though not rare, trait of the superstition of the times, that the 

 abbot and convent had received him, and Hextilda his wife, and 

 their children, into their fraternity, and had conferred upon them 

 the benefits of the church*. As Earl Henry died in 1152, and 

 as the grant of Cumyn is specified in the celebrated charter of 

 Malcolm IV., to which is assigned the date of 1159, as " eccle- 

 siam de lintunrutheric, ex donatione Ricardi Cumin," we touch 

 very closely upon the precise period of this interesting and early 

 notice of the church of Linton. In a Confirmation by Herbert, 

 Bishop of Glasgow (1160-64), we find it mentioned as the 

 church of Lintun Ruderich, while in the rubric of the same deed 

 it is styled Lijntunruderyc. In the Charter of William the Lion, 

 * Liber S. Marie de Calchou, N. 274. 



