On Chirnside Parish : the Estate of Edington. 103 



poultice of doo's (pigeon's) dung "; and for an inward decay, 

 " the tea of Foxglove leaves." It is said that Dr. Lauder 

 had a son, who, because the driver of a hackney coach did 

 not drive fast enough, got out of the carriage in a great rage 

 and stabbed him to the heart. 



[The valued rent of the Laird of Idington in 1649, was 

 £2888.] The barony of Edington, comprehending Edington, 

 Edington Mains, Edington Hill, consists of above 1300 acres 

 — the greater part of which is land of the finest quality. 

 The large farm house of Edington Hill, built in 1779, is said 

 to have been partly erected out of the old castle of Edington. 

 On this farm there is a field called the Goat-knowes, and a 

 well called the Goat-well, from the circumstance of Dr. 

 Lauder, mentioned above, having kept a flock of goats there. 

 A large space of the lands of Edington Hill was planted with 

 wood sometime after the commencement of the present 

 century. The present tenant of Edington Hill and Edington 

 Mains, is Mr. John Wilson, the descendant of a family who 

 have been tenants of a part of the lands of Edington for 

 upwards of a century. [Mr. Wilson is well known as a 

 representative Scottish farmer, and author of a work on 

 " British Agriculture," enlarged from the treatise on that 

 subject contributed to the " Encyclopaedia Britannica."] 



Edington Mill is romantically situated on the Whitadder, 

 near the south-east point of the parish. The banks of the 

 river here are highly picturesque and beautiful. A quarry 

 of a light-grey sandstone has been wrought here for many 

 years past. George Paterson was tenant here in 1714. One 

 of the same name was tenant in Edington, 1749. He was 

 succeeded by a family of the name of Hogg, who were 

 tenants here for about a century. [The Hoggs carried on a 

 great trade in London in groats, i.e., oats with the husks 

 taken off.] About 40 acres of land are let along with the 

 Mill. The Mill was rebuilt in 1853. 



Ploughland was a farm place which stood on the north 

 side of the Edington estate. It now forms part of the farm 

 of Edington Hill. There was a David Cowan in Ploughland 

 in 1593. David Nesbit was tenant here in 1728, and 

 William Neill in 1765. It was inhabited in 1775. 



[Additional Note. — David Edington of that Ilk was one 

 of the Merse proprietors who, in 1567, after the abdication 

 of Mary, signed a bond of adherence to the youthful James 

 VI. as king. (Crawfurd's " Officers of State," p. 443.)] 



