The Catrail, or Picts-Work-Ditch, by James Smai]. 107 



familiar with tlie Catrail in his district, says of Dr Douglas, in 

 connection with his account of it : — *' There can be no doubt that 

 he must often have been imposed upon, while making enquiries 

 of individuals resident in its neighbourhood, ^' '^' '^' as many 

 isolated trenches running in a contrary direction are still pointed 

 out as portions of that work, although unconnected with it ; and 

 as they are identical in appearance, his ignorance of the locality 

 would prevent him detecting the unintentional mistake." This, 

 in the present writer's opinion, seems probable. 



Chalmers calls the Catrail a "dividing fence between the 

 Eomanised Britons of the Cumbrian kingdom and their Saxon 

 invaders on the east." 



Sir "Walter Scott in his Border Antiquities, 1817, p. 23, says : — 

 " All good antiquarians allow that the remarkable trench, called 

 the Catrail, was intended to protect the native inhabitants of 

 Strath-Clyde from the too powerful Saxon invaders." In a letter 

 to George Ellis, he speaks of Drumelzier, many miles above 

 Peebles, as on the Catrail route. It seems somewhat singular 

 that Sir Walter had paid little or no attention to the "remark- 

 able trench," which he could almost see from his windows at 

 Abbotsford, and is still strongly marked on the hills on which 

 he delighted to roam behind Yair. 



Here is a rather sad paragraph : — " This was for him the last 

 year (1825) of many things ; among others of Sybil Grey, and 

 The Ahhotsford Hunt. Towards the close of a hard run on his 

 neighbour, Mr Scott of Gala's ground, he adventured to leap the 

 Catrail — that venerable relic of the days of — 

 ' Eeged wide 

 And fair Strath-Clyde.' 

 He was severely bruised and shattered ; and never afterwards re- 

 covered the feeling of confidence without which there can be no 

 pleasure in horsemanship. He often talked of this accident with 

 a somewhat superstitious mournfulness." — Life of Scott, vol. viii., 

 p. 105. 



Mr Wilson in his Annals of HawicTc, 1850, gives it a notice 

 similar to Chalmers. 



Mr Alexander Jeffrey, the historian of Eoxburghshire, writes 

 at considerable length on the Catrail, and other peculiar and 

 ancient roadways of the Borders, including the Devil's Cause- 

 way, the Maiden Way, and the Wheel-Causeway, the last of 



