Mr. G. Turnbull on Edin's Hall. 11 



Relatively to the hill on which it stands, Edin's Hall lies at 

 about the sixth or seventh part of the distance from the base to 

 the summit, that summit bearing south-west. The ground here 

 is comparatively level, though uneven on the surface. The plat- 

 form of the building, as it may be termed, is bounded on the 

 south-west by the acclivity of the hill, on the north-west by the 

 bank of a deep hollow, on the north-east by a steep bank washed 

 by the river Whitadder, and on the east by a more gentle but 

 irregular descent to the low ground. In perpendicular height 

 the site is 254 feet above the channel of the river, and 384 feet 

 below the top of the hill. 



Masonry. — The building is constructed entirely of stone, without 

 any other material. The kind of stone is whin (greywacke), ob- 

 viously taken from the adjoining hill. The larger blocks, which 

 mostly occur in the exterior side of the wall, measure between 

 two and three feet in length, but there are many of greater size. 

 None of the stones seem to have been dressed, but they retain their 

 original irregular shapes. They are angular, as if they had been 

 quarried or gathered before being rolled to any distance from the 

 mass of which they are fragments. They have not been united 

 by cement or even clay. They have however been very accurately 

 adjusted in their places, their irregularities being fitted into one 

 another or filled up with smaller stones. The face of the wall 

 is regular and smooth, particularly on the outside of the build- 

 ing. The whole presents a very perfect specimen of what is 

 called dry-stone masonry. (Plate I.) 



Form. — The form of the edifice is circular *. The entire circle 

 remains, except for a short space on the south, where the 

 building is now reduced to the level of the surrounding debris. 

 The outward face of the wall runs nearly, though not correctly, 

 in a circle, but that of the interior departs considerably from 

 this figure. One may suppose that before the building was 

 erected the outer circle was traced upon the uneven surface of 

 the ground, and that the line within was left to the eye of the 

 workmen. The following are the lengths of the exterior dia- 

 meters nearly : — 



From N. to S 921 f ee t. 



From E. to W 90 „ 



From S.E. to N.W 921 „ 



From S:W. to N.E 92 „ 



* See Plan (Plates I. and II.). In the account of the building given in the 

 " Scots Magazine ' it is said, " The form of it consists of three concentric 

 circles, 6 or 7 feet distant from one another, and the diameter of the in- 

 nermost is about 20 feet." But there is not at present any vestige of three 

 circles, nor are they delineated on a sketch of the building made by Mr. 

 Blackadder in or about the year 1793. 



