116 The Catrail, or Pids-Work-Ditch, by James Small. 



It was a common thing for one man to drive a string of 8 to 10 

 of these ponies, coal-laden, across the hills on this road, which 

 was much used for this purpose up to the early part of the cen- 

 tury. A similar mountain road, used for a like purpose, runs 

 from Northumberland across the fells by Kale water head and 

 Eiccalton to Jedburgh. 



At the Abbey, the Catrail is visible and broad, and the road 

 above-mentioned is on its exact line. Across the Dawston-rig 

 we could not find it, although the southern part of the Dawston- 

 rig is hard land. We found it, however, at the southern edge 

 of the Dawston-rig, where it dips into the Liddel water ; and 

 here it makes an abrupt curve, and runs to the north-east, up 

 the land called Wormescleuch, and crosses the burn of that name 

 on to Wheelrig, where it is strongly marked for a few hundred 

 yards. Here it terminates, in the neighbourhood of the site 

 of the Wheel Church, but not before it is crossed by the Wheel 

 Causeway or Eoman way, which runs north from this by Needs- 

 law and Wolfelee, and south " alang by the Dead Water Stank." 

 The Peel tower, at the foot of the Peel Fell, stood on the other 

 side of the Peel Burn — opposite this southern end of the Catrail. 

 Where it ends there are several curves and lines of a peculiar 

 kind, the lines resembling the Catrail in form, and the whole 

 much like the lines and curves, " the Eings," at the northern 

 end of the Catrail at Torwoodlee. I was much aided, at this 

 part of the Catrail, by my friend Mr Scott, the proprietor of 

 Peel; and also by one of his shepherds, who has been long 

 resident at Wormescleuch. 



THE WHEEL CHUECH. 



I must say a few words about this church of ancient days, 

 although there is not a stone of it standing, nor yet are there any 

 stones lying where it once stood. Its foundation lines are, how- 

 ever, quite as distinct, as is also the form of the churchyard, in 

 which neither grave nor tombstone can now be seen, as if the 

 walls of each were still erect. The fine short dark-green grass 

 on the site of the church and churchyard shews the exact 

 size and shape of each. The church was an oblong square, some 

 20 feet long ; and the churchyard is on the west of the church site, 

 but adjoining it, and is circular, a wheel in form. The writer 

 of the Old Statistical Account states that the Wheel Church was 

 " pretty large," a decided error. Jeffrey says : " After the sack 



