Mr Tate on Uarlottle Castle. 431 



carriage of every thing ; and so we are minded to move 

 her grace to Morpeth as soon as conveniently she may." 

 Christopher Gurney, in a letter to Henry VIII. ^ on December 

 28, narrates the royal removal: — 



" On Monday, the 16th November, the Queen of Scots re- 

 moved from Harbottle to a place of Sir Edward Ratcliffe's 

 called Cartington, four miles off, where she remained four 

 days. Removed on Saturday to the Abbey of Bryngborne 

 five miles from Cartington ; on Monday, to Morpeth, where 

 she was met by Lord Ogle, the Abbot of Newminster, and 

 other gentlemen, by appointment of Lord Dacre. She was 

 so feeble that she could not bear horses in the litter, but 

 Dacre caused his servants to carry it from Harbottle to Mor- 

 peth I think her one of the lowest brought ladies 



with her great pain of sickness I have seen and scape 



Nevertheless she has a wonderful love for apparel. She has 

 caused the gown of cloth of gold and the gown of cloth of 

 tynsen sent by Henry to be made against this time, and lokes 

 the fashion so well, that she will send for them and have them 

 held before her once or twice a day to look at. She has 

 within the castle 22 gowns of cloth of gold and silks, and yet 

 has sent to Edinburgh for more, which have come this day. 

 She is going in all haste to have a gown of purple velvet lined 

 with cloth of gold, a gown of right crimson velvet furred with 

 ermine, three gowns more and three kirtles of satin. These 

 five or six days she has had no other mind than to look at her 

 apparel."* 



During the sixteenth century Harbottle Castle assumes a 

 peculiar importance from its relation to the abnormal condi- 

 tion of the district in which it stood ; and surveys, reports, 

 and letters tell of the state of the castle, and throw a broad 

 light over the social condition of Redesdale. The castle 

 stood near the head of the cultivatable portion of Coquptdale; 

 and some other cultivated lands were in Redesdale and other 

 valleys ; but for miles and miles in the higher valleys and 

 on the ridges and hills there were only bleak moors and wild 

 wastes. About the beginning of April, according to Bowes 

 and Ellerker's surveyf in 1542, the inhabitants take all their 

 cattle into the high waste grounds towards the Borders, and 

 build for themselves frail huts they call ScJieah, and depas- 

 ture their cattle in the valleys and hopes, as well as on the 

 high grounds till August ; and this they call Summering or 



* Letters and papers, Hen. YIII., Vol. II., p. 316. 

 t Piintedin Hodgson's North. II., part III. 



