288 Local Documents, Gockbumspath, 1389. 



This is one of the few examples, in that age, so far as these records reveal, of 

 the precise wealth in flocks of a Scottish nobleman ; or rather of his Countess, 

 and perhaps her hand-maid. George, the first of the name, was then Earl of 

 Dunbar, and one of the most powerful men in Scotland, but shortly after- 

 wards having revolted to the English king, he involved himself in forfeiture, 

 and entailed ruin upon his posterity. His provident Countess was Christian, 

 daughter of Sir William Seton. John Shrouesbury, herald, alias John Her 

 yng pursuivant to the Earl of Dunbar obtained a letter of protection from 

 Henry IV., in 1404, (Rot. Scot., vol. ii., p. 166). Was he related to the 

 Countess's " Mary ?" The Countess and her servant's ownership may have 

 been only a pretext to cover their lord' s property. 



We have another, but later, private example, in the case of Sir David 

 Home, the first of Wedderburn.- — Writing from " Colbrandspetht," 12th 

 March, 1442-3, he complains that his relative and chieftain, Sir Alexander 

 Home of Dunglas, had been permitted by John Olle, the prior of Colding- 

 ham, to place a garrison of reivers in the " kyrk" there, "to hald as hous of 

 weer." Thence they harassed those not of their party by driving off their 

 flocks and herds, which they sold in England in a time of truce. " And thar 

 the said Sir Alx. halds a garyson of refars, the qwhilk has taken my lorde of 

 Halis (Hepburn of Hailes) guds, my sonnis and myne, to the number of ma 

 than ij thwzand scheip and iiij score ky and oxin, hafand the guds to Inglish 

 men, and made thare opin markate of thaim, and thai recept thaim, agayn 

 the vertw of the trewis " (Correspondence &c, of the Priory of Colding- 

 ham, p. 149). Of these 2000 sheep and 80 cattle, we are enabled to know 

 from Godscroft's History of the House of Wedderburn, that 800 sheep and 

 35 cattle belonged to Wedderburn, and had been harried from the lands of 

 Upsatlington, Fleimington, and Wedderburn; for that was the number 

 Alexander was afterwards bound to restore. (De Familia Humia Wedder- 

 burnensi, p. 8, 9.) At a later period the royal flocks were indeed princely; 

 James "V. having according to Pitscottie, 10,000 sheep pasturing in the 

 forest of Ettrick. Of the numbers of the flocks in the great monasteries in 

 early periods, we have good instances in the annual reports made by the 

 house of Coldingham to Durham. In. 1353, they possessed 1900; in 1354, 

 2200 ; in 1359, 2264 ; in 1371, 2000 sheep of various ages. (Coldingham 

 Correspondence, &c, Appendix.) But all these sink into insignificance in 

 comparison with the opulence of the Abbey of Melrose as a pastoral estab- 

 lishment ; the amount of their flocks being 45,023 head. (Morton's Annals 

 of Teviotdale, p. 279). 



