Mr Hardy on Langleyford Vale and the Cheviots. 361 



the Cheviot one, coming down from a place called Smiddy- 

 hill on the Lammermoors, across by Quixwood, where it is 

 visible, and on towards St. Abb's Head. These, and other 

 instances, shew that the Britons could rear walls of their 

 own, without being indebted to Roman precedent. 



Whether or not this wall was a guide, we find in later 

 times settlers of a different race adopting its line of communi- 

 cation, treading, it may be, in the path of old traditions, to 

 prevent invasion from Scotland. " The Dav-watch appointed 

 for the East Marches, 6th Edward VI. (1552).— The Day 

 Watch from Mydleton-Cragg to the Torre — South Mydleton 

 to watch Mydleton-Cragg, with one man on the day. — North 

 Mydleton to watch Brandhill, with one man on the day. — 

 Mydleton-hall and Yardall to watch Harsheugh, with one 

 man on the day. — Wooler to watch Troden-carne, with one 

 man on the day," &c. [The northern end of " Watch-law "« 

 is still called Fredon ; the cairn may have been utilised for 

 fences]. 



Let us now go up into the flat grassy glen, where there is 

 no tiring so long as the feet are on the elastic grass, and 

 where we appear to be ever withdrawing more and more from 

 the outer noisy world to the quietude of reposing Nature. 

 The hurrying water finds an audible voice in the silence, 

 and fills the hollow with liquid tumult. The water at 

 present skirts the southern side, but at some former era has 

 traversed a higher channel, whose boundary terrace still 

 stands up on the northern margin. A similar arrangement 

 exists on the Care burn, and also on the Lill burn. 



cipally composed of black turf, they have probably derived their name from 

 their colour. We are not, however, to regard every such wall as pre-historic, 

 unless associated with undoubted British remains ; for we find march- dikes, 

 and ditches, and hedges, in very early writings. In the Kelso Charters, we 

 meet with the " murum de Qwitlaw" (Morton's "Teviotdale," pp. 122, 123); 

 " murum qui dicitur Swtercrof tdyks " (p. 122) ; ■' antiquam balcam, quae est 

 antiqua marchia ad pedem del Whitelawe " (p. 136) ; " balcam lapideam " ; 

 "quandam balcam latam " (p. 136) ; " quandam antiquam balcam quae est 

 marchia" (p. 137) ; this last was continued across the "strother" by a ditch. 

 Of these march ditches we have " qusedam fossa ex antiquo constructa" 

 (p. 138) ; we have also "fossati quod monachi fecerunt" (Melrose) (p. 269). 

 We have also a " vetus murus " at Whitton (p. 269), which was ancient at a 

 date about a.d. 1199. 'Earl Patrick of Dunbar" gave to Dryburgh, 

 "Elvinesley, bounded by the hedge which reached up to Duneden, &c." 

 (p. 306). The supposed " camp " that obtained notoriety some years since 

 in the Alnwick district for growing " Roman oats," was meiely one of these 

 old boundary balks. I noticed others in that vicinity. 



