76 On Hawick and its Neighbourhood. 



even the offspring of the people who had piled it up had all 

 perished from the land, and their successors had lost from 

 their memory all remembrance of their very existence. That 

 it was originally of a sepulchral nature, most archaeologists 

 are now agreed. This view is strengthened by what has 

 been discovered in the few similar remains which have been 

 explored. Some years ago, when the town was making 

 holiday in honour of a visit of royalty, a hole was dug'on its 

 summit for the purpose of erecting a flag-staff. At a depth 

 of three feet a number of bones were turned up. Some of 

 these were submitted to me for examination. They were 

 those of the limbs of a dog. This is in accordance with 

 what we find in other sepulchral mounds. Among the 

 primitive inhabitants of our island, provision was made for 

 the future state of existence ; and as it was believed that 

 this was to be very like a continuance of the present, the 

 mighty departed were amply provided for the war trail and 

 the chase on the plains of the spirit-land. It would be a 

 great thing for the science of archaeology if the Moat could 

 be explored, and I have no doubt that no one would be 

 better pleased to see this accomplished than its proprietor, 

 the Duke of Buccleugh. 



The forts or camps are the most prominent archaeological 

 feature in the district of Upper Teviotdale. Indeed, so 

 prominent are they, that there is not a hill with any 

 character which is not surmounted by one ; and many of 

 them are found on low grounds, and by the sides of streams 

 and marshes. Among the inhabitants of the place, they are 

 generally accredited to the Romans ; but this is only a 

 " vulgar error " ; we have not a single Roman camp. They 

 are all British ; but to what period in the history of our 

 country they have to be ascribed is a difficult matter to 

 determine. From Ruberslaw to the Wisp on the east and 

 west, and from Caldcleugh to Leap Hill on the south and 

 north, we include a district in which there are at least fifty 

 of these ancient remains. They are not, by any means, 

 equally distributed over this area. In some places, such as 

 those wild moorlands near the watershed of the Teviot and 

 the Esk, and in the cultivated lands near the eastern boun- 

 dary of the territory indicated, they are comparatively rare ; 

 but all along the line of the Catrail they are very numerous. 

 Indeed, so much is this the case, that many who have given 



