193 



On Jedburgh Pears. By Mr. James Tate. 



In a little nook of the tortuous vale watered by the crystal 

 Jed, part of it on the level close to the water, and part on 

 the sloping ascent towards the hills, is situated the town of 

 Jedburgh. The vale is narrow, and the haugh land of 

 small extent, so that a good portion of the houses are set in 

 the face of steep banks, and the gardens suggest some idea 

 of what the hanging gardens of ancient Babylon may have 

 been. The town itself has many features of curious interest. 

 It has the ruins of an abbey, in which lived in other days a 

 colony of monks ; and some of the Jethart Pear trees are 

 believed to have stood from a period before the Reforma- 

 tion. It had a strong castle at the highest part of the 

 town, and some of the old mansions were in the form of 

 Bastile houses, the defensive character being requisite as a 

 protection against the English invaders. The most interest- 

 ing specimen of these houses now remaining is one in which 

 Queen Mary lay sick for some time after her ride of fifty 

 miles over moor and moss to visit Bothwell at Hermitage 

 Castle, when he had been wounded by the banditti of 

 Liddesdale. It is one of the few good houses now remain- 

 ing in the burgh that has a thatched roof. 



But our present object is to notice Jethart Pears, and not 

 to give a description of the town. The pears are referred 

 to in all historical notices of the town. In 1773, Dr. John 

 Walker writes from Moffat to Lord Karnes, that " there is 

 more fruit about Jedburgh, and more fruit-bearing wood 

 upon the trees, than I have seen in any other part of Scot- 

 land." In the "Agricultural Survey of Roxburghshire," 

 written by Dr. Douglas, of Galashiels, and published in 

 1798, the author refers to Kelso, Melrose, and Gattonside, 

 along with Jedburgh, as being noted for their orchards, but 

 adds, " Jedburgh has long been famous for its pears. The 

 best kinds there are the Lammas or Crawford, the Auchan, 

 and the Longueville. The two last, especially, are much 

 valued, and are in great demand over a large track of 

 country," They formed, when Dr. Douglas wrote, a con- 

 siderable article of commerce, and in some seasons the 

 produce was incredibly great. Both at Melrose and Jed- 

 burgh there were then some very old trees, supported by 

 props, but still very prolific. The Doctor says in a foot- 

 note ; " A single tree of the Thorle Pear at Melrose, has for 



