Seals and Arms of Jedburgh. By A. C. Mounsey. 137 



Saxon foundation." The three stones are now preserved in the 

 north transept. Another stone which has proved of some interest 

 to antiquarians is built in as a lintel at the foot of the north- 

 west turret stair. It is of Eoman origin, and the inscription 

 begins with the well-known "I.O.M." — Jupiter Optimus Max- 

 imus. The following contracted words can easily be made out, 

 "CAESA." "SEVER" "TRIB.", but the inscription as a whole 

 has never been deciphered. The probability is that this may 

 have been a tablet erected at the side of the Watling Street or 

 Eoman Eoad, which crosses the district within two miles of Jed- 

 burgh. An illustration of this stone is given in the 1st volume 

 of Jeffrey's "History of Eoxburghshire." 



Special reference might also have been made to the masons' 

 marks, and to the double roof marks on the Abbey — the latter 

 subject presenting much more difficulty of solution than would 

 at first sight appear — but as this paper has already reached a 

 greater length than was originally intended, we will not at present 

 venture on them. 



The Seals and the Arms of the Royal Burgh of Jedburgh. 

 By A. C. Mounsey, Jedburgh. 



On the 13th of March, 1680, the Town Council of Jedburgh 

 met to consider certain difficulties that had arisen in connection 

 with the Armorial bearings of the burgh. The minute of that 

 meeting recites that the only seal made use of by the council, 

 either in sealing of evidents or of burgess tickets "for this thirty 

 years by gane," that is, from 1650 to 1680, had borne the uni- 

 corn for the town's arms ; that the unicorn being a part of the 

 king's arms, the town could not warrantably assume nor further 

 use it ; that the burgh's arms had never been matriculated 

 according to Act of Parliament ; and that the old seal " which 

 has at first been made use of," that is, the original seal of the 

 burgh, was unfit to be made use of again. For these reasons 

 the council recommended the magistrates " to write in or speak 

 with" the Lord Lyon for getting the burgh's arms matriculated, 

 and to intimate to him that " they shall hereafter bear for their 

 arms a man on horseback, with steel cap and jack, and a Jed- 

 burgh Staff in his hand," the motto to be supplied by the Lord 

 Lyon, who was at that time Sir Alexander Erskine of Cambo. 



