Mr. Hardy's Accou?it of Eyemouth Fort. 425 



lied in his account of the combat, derived from eye-witnesses, 

 says " Maister Eure was hurt in the flank." About the end 

 of 1558, Lord Eure, then governor of Berwick, made an in- 

 road towards Eyemouth, in the neighbourhood of which he 

 burnt a mill, a kiln, and some houses * This was not the 

 only attack to which the town had been liable ; for, sixteen 

 years before that, in July, 1542, the English had ravaged 

 Ayton, Aymouth, and other towns in the Merse.f Such 

 enterprises were not of long duration, for by the first article 

 of the treaty of Cambray, 2nd April, 1559, '^ the fort built at 

 Ay mouth, shall be demolished within three months after the 

 conclusion of this treaty, nor shall there be built or refortified 

 any other place of strength contrary to the present treaty. J" 

 But it was only partially pulled down, for it is again the 

 occasion of an article in the Treaty of Peace at Edinburgh, 

 6th July, 1560, whence we learn that '^ although the same 

 fort be in some sort demolished, yet not so as was agreed 

 upon ; therefore, it is now appointed, agreed, and concluded 

 that the fort of Aymouth shall be utterly demolished and 

 razed before the end of four days after the demolition of Leith 

 shall be accomplished. And in the demolishing of the said 

 fort, such Scottish men as shall be deputed thereunto by the 

 Commissioners, shall be at freedom to make use of the labours 

 of English pioneers. "§ The retiring English army, on reach- 

 ing Eyemouth, demolished the fortifications according to 

 agreement. || In the interval, August, 1559, John Knox had 

 advised the English again to seize and garrison it ; otherwise 

 it would be pre-occupicd by France.^ Mary, July, 1561, 

 before she embarked to return to Scotland, represented to 

 Throckmorton, the English ambassador in France, that one 

 cause of contention was removed : " the fort at Aimouth is 

 razed to the ground."** But, although dismantled, both 

 realms kept their eyes on it. Surlabas, the French com- 

 mander, had told Mary " that it were good to take heed to 

 Aeymouth and Dunbar. "ff Of this Elizabeth got apprised, and 



* Redpath's Bord. Hist , p 592. 



t Pinkerton's Hist, of Scotland, IL, p. 377. 



X Keith's Hist. I., p. 445. 



§ Keith's Hist. I., p 291,292. 



II Tytler's Hist III., p. 126. 



t Tytler's Hist. III., p. 104. 



** Keith's Hist. II., p. 55, Camden's Elizabeth, p. 66. 



tt Keith's Hist., II. p. 70. 



