320 Mr. A. M'Lareii on a Stone Coffin. 



Field were buried, the Lady Abbess having caused their re- 

 mains to be conveyed from the battle field, that they might 

 rest in consecrated ground. A road had been made through 

 this open space for the convenience of the neighbouring 

 houses, and had been partly cut out of the bank. In pass- 

 ing along this road, I observed the edge of a hewn stone ; I 

 thought at first it might be a window lintel of the old abbey, 

 but on scraping away the earth, I found it to be a stone 

 coffin. I reported what I had discovered to the late Earl of 

 Home, as I did not like to take the liberty of breaking up the 

 road without permission, and in his lordship's presence the 

 coffin was taken up. As far as I recollect, there were no re- 

 mains of a lid ; if there had been any, it must have been very 

 thin, and crumbled away. 



The coffin was full of earth, but the skeleton, though very 

 black and decayed, was still exceedingly perfect, the arm 

 bones were crossed over the breast, and the feet seemed to • 

 have been doubled up under the hams, as if the coffin was too 

 short. On the back of the skull, I found two or three grey 

 hairs. It was my wish to have had the eaith taken out of the 

 coffUn in handfulls, in hopes of finding the usual silver coin, 

 placed under the head in Roman Catholic times, and which 

 allows one to guess nearly the date of decease ; but the work- 

 men foolishly turned the coffin upside down. Immediately 

 under the stone coffin was found another skeleton, quite per- 

 fect, with three wounds on the skull. One on the right side 

 had been caused by a cut of a battle-axe or sword, the bone 

 was cut through and the wound had been closed up by a new 

 growth of young bone. A medical gentleman present said, 

 the wound must have been made about three years before the 

 time of death. A second wound seemed to be that of an 

 arrow, the skull being ground out from the frontal bone to 

 the top of the head. A third wound was a small triangle 

 opening in the right temple, and seemed to have been the 

 death wound. This skull was sent to the Ilirsel. Except a 

 stone coffin found in Kelso Abbey, and another at the Hirsel, 

 and the one I showed you, I am not aware of any stone 

 coffin cut out of one solid stone being found in this district, 

 but it is not uncommon to find graves made with flags at 

 each side, and smaller ones at the head and foot. Such a 

 grave was opened in a field, about a quarter of a mile up 

 the Dunse road from my present dwelling, in which was 

 found a short sword, but no bones. The late Dr. Weather- 

 head, on Avhose property it Avas found, had the sword for 



