218 Notes on Maxton, by the Rev. M. H. Graham. 



old family residence — a castle — stood at the top of the present 

 glebe, where portions of a fine chimney-piece and bits of polished 

 marble were not so very long ago dug up. We are now a sparse 

 people in this parish, numbering only 485 souls ; but, tradi- 

 tion asserts that we once numbered 5,000 ; and that once 

 upon a time 1,000 bold Maxtonians, all on horseback, met at 

 the market-place to do battle in the troublous day for their 

 country and themselves. The village, at any rate, must 

 have covered a very considerable area, for the foundations 

 of its houses have been struck by the modern deep plough 

 for many acres round. 



There was, of course, a Market Place (as already noted), 

 and there are still to be seen, close by its original site, the 

 melancholy remains of the old stone cross — probably of the 

 13th century. Portions of this venerable relic have from time 

 to time, I grieve to learn, been surreptiously appropriated by 

 predatory and unscrupulous antiquarians. 1 have discovered 

 the whereabouts of its ancient capital, on which is chiselled 

 a lion recumbent, holding in its paws a lamb ; and I do not 

 altogether despair of greatly restoring our ancient cross. 



I turn now to our little Church ; and here also, in the wo- 

 lul transformation our sacred edifice has passed through, we, as 

 a Club — lovers of the beautiful and venerable, and conserva- 

 tors of what is worthy of preservation — have much reason to 

 mourn that our immediate ancestors were not like-minded 

 with ourselves. Thanks, however, to my generous heritors, 

 the little temple has been recently vastly improved. The date 

 of its first erection is not exactly ascertained ; but we may 

 safely set it down as not later than the early part of the 12th 

 century. It was at one time attached to Dryburgh, whose 

 exquisite ruins are within three miles of us ; but the greedy 

 monks cut us ofT for some loaves and fishes in the shape of 

 half a plough-gate of land. Originally dedicated to Saint 

 Cuthbert, there remains still a fragment of the early building. 

 The west door will be found a fine specimen of the Norman 

 order ; and in the western gable may be plainly seen some 

 stones bearing marks of scroll work. These stones have been 

 stuck in at random by our pious fore-master builders, at one 

 of the many re-arrangements the church has unmercifully 

 undergone, simply, I imagine, to put them out of the way. 

 "When some masons, five years ago, were removing the old 

 earthen floor, they picked up a large stone finely carved, 

 which must have formed the capital of a handsome pillar — 



