Notes on Hamburgh and Blanchland, by W. Dickson. 881 



lear, and the barge, he knew not quhilk of thrie was costliest ; 

 for it was reckoned for the tyme, be honest men of considerr- 

 atioun, that the least of the thrie, cost him ten thousand 

 pund sterling." 



About a century later, we still find " wreckers " on the 

 Northumberland coast. In November, 1559, two Scotch 

 vessels were driven by stress of weather on the shores be- 

 tween Berwick and Bamburgh, whereof one was plundered 

 by the country people, and the other (Nov. 4j being stranded 

 on Ross Sands, was seized by the water-bailiff of Ross, 

 servant to Sir Ralph Grey of Chillingham. See Sir Ralph 

 Sadler's " State Papers and Letters," vol. I., p. 548, 550, 

 579, 582, 583, 593. Sir Ralph Grey, in exculpating him- 

 self, dates his letter from " Shillingham" ; which shows that 

 the popular pronunciation of this word was then prevalent in 

 high places. 



In time not far remote, I have been told, that " Let us 

 pray for a good harvest this winter " — signifying many ship- 

 wrecks, — used to be a common expression in the mouths of 

 the fishing population on the southern Northumbrian sea- 

 coast. Let us hope that no one now-a-days cherishes this 

 atrocious sentiment. 



J. H. 



Notes to correct Errors as to the Manors of Bamburgh and 

 Blanchland. By Wm. Dickson, F.S.A. 



As the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club will meet at Bam- 

 burgh on 27th June, 1872, 1 take the opportunity of bringing 

 together a few notes of errors committed by the several 

 historians of the county, so far as relates to the manor and 

 castle of Bamburgh, and the site and lands of the dissolved 

 monastery of Blanchland, in order to correct the errors by an 

 authentic statement of the facts, taken from original docu- 

 ments. 



I do not go further into the history of these places. 

 Wallis (North'd. II., 407, 408) states that Frances Forster 

 married Thomas Forster, Esq., of Etherston, by whom he had 

 several children, the eldest being Thomas, the rebel general 

 of 1715. The other daughter, Dorothy (sister of Frances), 

 married the Right Honble. Lord Crewe and Lord Bishop of 



