260 Report of Meetings for 1880, by James Hardy. 



Edward III. tested a mandate here Nov. 16, 1334.* In 1502, 

 Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry VII., then affianced to 

 James IV. of Scotland, on the 26th July, was conveyed with a 

 fair company to Morpeth, "and by the towne passed in fayr 

 order, wher ther was much people ; and so sche went to the 

 abbay, wher sche was well recyved by the abbot and religyous 

 revested, at the gatt of the church, with the crosse." She re- 

 turned to Morpeth to her lodgings for the night.f 



Among the " Historical Documents, Scotland," i., p. 391, there 

 is an extract from the Eoll of the Justices Itinerant for North- 

 umberland, Jan., 1293, concerning "Pleas North of the Coquet," 

 which is curious now. A certain Ealph, a lay brother (frater 

 conversus) of Newminster found William the Pundere, in a cer- 

 tain osiery (virgulto) of the Abbot of Newminster cutting wands, 

 and struck him with a certain axe (hachia) on the head, so that 

 by reason thereof he died on the instant. And thereafter the said 

 brother Ealph was sent to Meuthros (Melrose) in Scotland, by 

 the Abbot of Newminster, which abbot is now dead. And the 

 said brother Ealph withdrew himself for no other cause than the 

 foresaid death, and i& of evil credit. Therefore he is banished 

 and outlawed. He has no chatells. The Eev. J. F. Fowler, 

 Introd. to Chart, p. xix. conjectures that the monks cultivated 

 osiers for basket-making, as did their neighbours, from the men- 

 tion in a deed. Chart. Nov. Mon. p. 160, " of the vimina of John 

 de Kestern." We have here a case in point. The Virgultum, 

 however, may have been a hazel shaw. 



Mr Fergusson pointed out how the Abbey was supplied with 

 water, but this was known previous to the excavations, and Mr 

 Fowler's instructions may be depended on. "■ Somewhat to the 

 south-west of the Abbey," he says, " and within the curtain wall, 

 tanks of oak and lead lie buried ; these were in connection with 

 a fine spring of water. The great sewer for sanitary purposes, 

 which also turned two or three mills, was an artificial water- 

 course taken off from the Wansbeck about a mile and a half 

 higher up, where a weir or dam was put across. This water- 

 course can still be traced through a considerable part of its 



* Eot. Scot, i., pp. 94, 103, 127, 128, and 294 (Hodgson) ; and Harts- 

 home's Itinerary of King Edward the Second, pp. 7, 13, 17. (Privately 

 printed) . 



t Leland's Collectanea. 



