284 Report of Meetings for 1880, by James Hardy. 



Canon Ornsby has also satisfactorily shewn that Lord William 

 died at Greystock Castle either on or about October 7th, 1640; 

 not of the plague, but from natural decay, and that he was buried 

 in Greystock church.* 



During the Club's short stay at Gilsland, but a slight acquain- 

 tance could be formed with the Natural History of the neigh- 

 bourhood. Saxifraga aizoides was seen on the dripping shale 

 strata approaching to the Spa — Vicia sylvatica and Rubus saxatilis 

 grow among the rocky scaurs of the Irthing, Bird-cherry ap- 

 peared on the haugh opposite the Spa. A broad-leaved helle- 

 borine, without flowers {Epipactis, sp.), was gathered in the 

 woods ; and Neottia Nidus-avis grows there. Galium horeale and 

 Equisetum variegatum are both recorded for Wardrew. Mr 

 Parkin, photographer, now of Wakefield, brought a plant of 

 Asplenium viride from Cramel Linn on the Irthing to shew to the 

 Club. It was once plentiful there, but has been nearly all carried 

 off, except from inaccessible positions. Hypericum humifusum 

 was got in the fields near Gilsland, and again near Naworth. 

 The Primula farinosa was said to bloom profusely in marshes near 

 Brampton. With regard to birds, Mr Parkin said that wheat- 

 ears built frequently in the stone- walls near the Eailway Station ; 

 that stone-chats were not rare ; but whin-chats were scarce. The 

 gray wagtail is common, on the Irthing. The titlark was known. 

 Of the titmice, besides the common species, the cole, and the long- 

 tailed tits occur at Gilsland ; the marsh titmouse is scarce. When 

 the galls produced on the spruce firs by Adelges Abietis open to 

 allow the insects which develope within them to escape, the trees 

 present a busy scene, for the young tits watch their exit, and do 

 all they can to clean the trees. The merlin builds regularly on 

 the top of the clifPs in the dean at Gilsland. The rough-legged 

 buzzard was a visitant, a few years since. In addition to gnats 

 and midges, the Simuliimi midge bites severely. 



When Gilsland Spa came into vogue does not appear. It was 

 much frequented before 1753, when the third edition of Gibson's 

 Camden was in the press (fol. 1038). Its early name then was 

 Wardrew Spa. Wardrew house was built in 1752, on the site of 

 one much older, and is situated in Thirlwall township, in North- 

 umberland, on a wooded eminence on the opposite banks of the 

 river to the hotel. The poet Burns visited it in June, 1787 — 

 * Introduction, &c., p. Ixiv, 



