Elsdon Parish Register. By Robert Arkle. 119 



HaU the bab," " Kilp and Tirleytower of Hadderwick," " Sbort- 

 beard of the Stobs," "Allans Jo. of Garretshields," "Dishes 

 Bells Eogerson," and " poor Thomye tunder." 



In 1691, " Jane y® Dumb daughter of Gerard Coxon of Ratten- 

 raw " was buried, in 1695, "a child of a weaw®^ of Rochester was 

 buried at Birin ess," and the Registrar adds "some say he re- 

 ceived alms." There was also buried in 1699, " Andrew Ruther- 

 ford of Elsdon very poor," in 1701, "a beger under the name of 

 Jane Davison," in 1727, "Easter Hymarsh of Elsdon Ideott," 

 whilst 1729 completes the climax of misery by the burial of 

 Gerard Coxon of Rattenraw, who had the double misfortune of 

 being " an ideott and very poor." 



At the very commencement of the Register is recorded the 

 baptism of "Elizabeth the bastard daughter of David Burn of 

 Scotland, and EUender Pott of Durtrees," and the burial of 

 " Isabella the daughter of Edward Reed of Troughend by Ann 

 Pott of Potts Durtrees." The Register contains many similar 

 entries, amongst which are the baptisms of "John y^ fatherless 

 bastard son of Jane Hall of Otterburn," and "Nicholas the bas- 

 tard child of the dumb woman of Rattenraw." There is also an 

 entry of the baptism of " Mary the Bastard daughter of Matthew 

 Anderson of Yaitsfield" and "Ellenor Potts of Monkridghall, " 

 to which the scribe has felt it his duty to add "he y® father 

 having a wife." 



In 1681 " Jane Carr Widdow, a quaker, was buried at Otter- 

 burn," probably the last interment in that burying ground, which 

 was situated behind the present Presbyterian chapel. 



In the older Registers the ages are not given, but in 1687 

 Jane Nicholson of y^ Eaw was buryed, " reputed to be near 100 

 years." 



In 1675 "John Harle of Otterburn alias Lord Harle was 

 buryed " at Elsdon, and in 1711 the place was honoured by hav- 

 ing the remains of "Robert the son of Lord Rutherford" 

 deposited within its sacred precincts. 



There are numerous records of persons having been buried in 

 woollen cloth, in accordance with an act of the legislature,* 

 which strongly shews the protectionist notions of the times, in 

 which it was passed. Philanthropists had not then conceived 

 the noble but illusory idea of uniting all the nations of the earth 

 in an universal brotherhood, or had not like ourselves learned 



* Caroli II. Tricesimo, 1678. 



