302 Keyheugh and its " Wishing Well" by Thos. Arkle. 



to Christ. Bj the late Eeverend and Learned Jonathan Harle, 

 M.D. To which are added Hymns and Psalms, by the same 

 Author. Published at the request of many of his hearers, with 

 an account of his Life, and a Sermon preached on occasion of his 

 death. By John Horsley, M.A. London, Printed for Eichard 

 Ford at the Angel in the Poultry, near Stocks-Market 1730." 



This volume is an octavo, the first part containing 180 pages, 

 and the second 132. Eichard Ford appears to have been the 

 Nonconformist publisher at that time, for on a fly leaf are adver- 

 tised five works, among which there is "Logick" by I. Watts, 

 D.D., just published. 



Along with the books described there is a volume of Eeprints 

 from Hodgson's Northumberland, containing "Memoirs of the 

 Lives of Thomas Gibson, M.D., Jonathan Harle, M.D., John 

 Horsley, M.A., F.E.S., and William Turner, M.D." 



The Keyheugh and its " Wishing Well" By Mr Thomas 

 Arkle. 



In the Parish of Elsdon, about a mile south of Midgey Ha', 

 on a steep hill called Darden, is a perpendicular precipice of 

 freestone rock, which is a striking object from the Elsdon and 

 Eothbury road, at a point a little to the east of Graslees Mill. 

 The rocky face extends to a considerable length, the greatest 

 height being about sixty feet. On the southern or higher side 

 the ground is level with the top of the cliff, whilst below a large 

 area is covered with detached fragments of rock, of all sizes, 

 scattered about in the wildest confusion, the whole place present- 

 ing clear indications of the tremendous power of glacial action. 



Such is the wild and romantic place called Keyheugh, which, 

 though now lonely and deserted, was in olden times the attractive 

 Sunday resort of the young people resident in the adjacent 

 neighbourhood. At a little distance from the main precipice is 

 a Well, on the bottom of which, a century ago, might always 

 have been observed a number of pins, or as my informant, who 

 had visited the place in his youthful days, expressed himself " a 

 heap of pins," each visitor dropping in one to further the fulfil- 

 ment of wishes silently breathed over the magic fountain, or as 

 an offering to propitiate the genius loci for the unauthorised in- 

 trusion into his secluded and romantic territory. 



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